It was the worst possible start to life as new Manchester United manager for Erik ten Hag, as his new club started the Premier League campaign in disastrous fashion, losing their first two games.
Since then, the Dutchman has steadied the ship with the Red Devils, currently fifth in the league, within four points of fourth place with two games in hand.
They have tasted defeat only twice since October. While the Manchester Derby was a thrashing, the defeat against Aston Villa away from home was a bitter pill to swallow.
village surprise
Aside from the mediocre performances of some players, the referee’s poor decision-making was another major factor behind the loss.
As previously written in The Peoples Person, referee Anthony Taylor had allowed the Villa players to advance the ball a few yards forward in a much better position after Luke Shaw’s foul on Jacob Ramsey.
That was not all, as the resulting free kick saw the referee, instead of measuring 10 yards from the ball for United’s wall to stand, he put his breakaway spray more than 13 yards from the ball.
PGMOL accepts that referee Anthony Taylor incorrectly moved the #mufc wall further back for Lucas Digne’s free kick on November 6. United sources say Christian Eriksen politely informed Taylor of the discrepancy but was brushed off. [@samuelluckhurst] pic.twitter.com/A9zp0nB7CZ
— utdreport (@utdreport) December 27, 2022
Ten Hag even brought up this point in his post-match press conference.
“I think the free kick [from Lucas Digne] can be stopped because the wall is too far [over]. It’s okay, these little details, but the little details make all the difference in high-level football.”
According to a report by Samuel Luckhurst in The Manchester Evening News, The Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) have accepted that Taylor was at fault.
Taylor missed, back for the Forest game
“PGMOL accepted referee Anthony Taylor incorrectly moved Manchester United’s wall further back for Aston Villa defender Lucas Digne’s free kick.
“United officials contacted PGMOL Group 1 Manager Jon Moss who agreed Taylor had made a mistake and assured they would speak to him.”
Interestingly, the referee has not officiated in the Premier League since, but is set to return for United’s home game against Nottingham Forest.
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