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How Did Nemanja Matic Get Away With This Against West Ham?

How Did Nemanja Matic Get Away With This Against West Ham?

The Manchester United midfielder was lucky to avoid punishment during Wednesday's Carabao Cup tie.

Tom Fenton

Tom Fenton

Manchester United crashed out of the Carabao Cup last night after a 1-0 defeat to West Ham - and the hosts were arguably lucky to keep all 11 players on the pitch.

Just before the hour mark, United midfielder Nemanja Matic appeared to strike Hammers defender Vladimir Coufal with his knee, who subsequently falls to the ground.

The Third Round tie at Old Trafford wasn't officiated by VAR, meaning that no retrospective action could be taken against Matic in the immediate aftermath.

The Serbian international avoided punishment and was very lucky to do so based upon the footage. Take a look for yourself.



While few fans appeared to defend Matic's actions, some United supporters did reply to the original tweet to point out a different infringement during the match.

Jesse Lingard appeared to be brought down by Mark Noble inside the West Ham box during Wednesday night' clash, only for the ref to wave away United's appeals for a penalty.

With Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's men going on to lose by a single goal, it was a decision that could have changed the course of the tie.

"What about this? Doesn't fit your agenda does it," one user replied, tweeting a picture of the Lingard incident.

"Just like Noble got away with pulling Lingard down," another added.

Image
PA

Others, meanwhile, were quick to point out how the lack of VAR negatively impacted the tie, as both the penalty and red card decisions would have been overturned if the technology was available to the referee.

Action could still be taken against Matic, as the officials didn't dish out a punishment to the 33-year-old at the time of the incident.

Hammers fans also weren't too happy with the behaviour of Bruno Fernandes, after the United playmaker stole the ball from a drop ball and tried to score, in injury time.

At least for David Moyes side, they progress to the Fourth Round of the cup thanks to Manuel Lanzini's strike, where they will face defending champions, Manchester City.

And they also managed to get revenge on United, after the dramatic league loss to the Red Devils just three days prior.

Next up for United is a home fixture against Aston Villa on Saturday afternoon, where the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Fernandes are expected to be drafted back into the starting XI.

Featured Image Credit:

Topics: nemanja matic, Carabao Cup, Manchester United, West Ham, Jesse Lingard