Manchester United got fortunate assistance of VAR during their 3-0 win over Aston Villa in the Premier League on Thursday, while Tottenham Hotspur suffered another frustrating day at the office after they were held to a goalless draw by Bournemouth.
For United, Bruno Fernandes, Mason Greenwood and Paul Pogba scored at the Villa Park to keep their team in close vicinity to the top four. With 58 points from 34 matches, United stand one point shy of fourth-placed Leicester City and two points adrift of third-placed Chelsea.
The first breakthrough came in the 25th minute when Fernandes tumbled into Ezri Konsa in Villa’s box. Though there seemed little evidence of wrongdoing from Konsa, the visitors were handed a penalty.
It enraged the Villa camp further when the VAR did not overturn the on-field referee’s decision. The Portuguese midfielder successfully converted the resulting spot-kick to score his eighth goal in a United shirt.
The Red Devils doubled their lead in the stoppage time of the opening half when Manchester United academy graduate Greenwood struck another long-ranger from outside the box to net his fourth goal in the last three matches.
Even though Aston Villa had started the game on a positive note and it was they who had hit the first shot on the target. But as the game proceeded their inferiority in front of a dominant United midfield and attack was left exposed.
The final nail in Villa’s coffin was hammered by French World Cup winner Paul Pogba with the midfielder bagging his first goal of an injury-hit season with a low curler from 18 yards.
The result meant that United extended their unbeaten streak to 17 matches and also became the first Premier League team to win four consecutive matches with a margin of three or more goals.
On Thursday, the VAR controversy had initially started at the Dean Court where Tottenham felt they were denied a penalty. The game, which ended 0-0, might have potentially ended Spurs’ hope of European action next season for the first time since the 2009-10 season.
Tottenham, like in major parts of the ongoing season, lacked their usual brilliance throughout the match. But they could feel hard done by after Josh King’s challenge on Harry Kane in the Bournemouth box was not penalised even after a VAR review.
It was the second time in a week that the Lillywhites were left undone by a controversial VAR decision. Manager Jose Mourinho had blamed their defeat against Sheffield United to the contentious technology.
Even though the game lacked any major spark from both the sides, it was Bournemouth who had come close to three points in the stoppage time. But Callum Wilson’s overhead kick was found hiding King’s hand before beating Spurs keeper Hugo Lloris and was, thus, overturned by VAR.