Both Erik Ten Hag and Marcus Rashford has criticized the Referee who held sway between Manchester United and Barcelona in their first leg of the Europa league knockout round.
Both teams played out a 2-2 draw in the game but the Dutch born Coach and English forward weren’t satisfied with a particular decision of the Referee.
Rashford was a cynosure of all eyes in the game and became a constant threat to Barca at the final third of the pitch.
The situation which became the flashpoint was when Rashford appeared to have been tackled by Jules Kounde when through on goal just outside the penalty area, but referee Maurizio Mariani allowed play to continue without any consequences.
Ten Hag told BT Sport: “I think the referee had a big influence on this game. It was a foul on Rashy.
“You can discuss if it was in or outside the box, but then [either way] it is a red card because [Rashford] was one-on-one with the keeper.
“So it’s a big influence, not just for this game, in this round. It can’t be, referees can’t much such mistakes.”
In his own remarks, Rashford who noted that he didn’t expect a penalty but a free kick also shared similar views with his Coach as he expressed his disappointment in Mariani’s decision.
“It’s a massive moment in the game,” he said. “I’ve not watched it back but in the moment I don’t understand why the linesman thinks I’m going down there.
“I’ve touched it past him and my foot’s in front of the ball, [Kounde] hits my leg and it’s clear contact. It’s not a penalty but it’s 100 per cent a foul for me.” He said.
The second leg of the game is billed to hold next week Thursday.