Alvaro Arbeloa launches furious attack on Premier League officials after Man Utd controversy

Alvaro Arbeloa blasted Premier League officials for their decision-making in the build-up to Manchester United's equaliser against Fulham.

Arbeloa was well on his way to securing a first Premier League win in charge of the Cottagers when a Lisandro Martinez own goal put them ahead with 27 minutes of normal time remaining.

But Matheus Cunha's deflected strike in the 89th minute broke Fulham's heart as they settled for a draw, meaning they have now collected just two points from a possible 15 in the top flight.

READ NEXT: Gary Neville sums up 'absolutely pathetic' part of football today as he tears into Man Utd in brutal rant

Alvaro Arbeloa references Manchester derby controversy in post-match comments

Fulham enter the three-week international break joint bottom of the table with Tottenham Hotspur, but if Arbeloa had his way, they would have climbed out of the relegation zone with all three points.

That was because the Spaniard was furious that, 35 seconds before the goal, United were given a free-kick for a foul on Harry Maguire on the halfway line.

Arbeloa felt the free kick Cesar Palacios' foul on Maguire was soft, claiming that referee Peter Bankes gave "all fouls" to Man United after the officials incorrectly awarded Erling Haaland's winner in the Manchester derby last weekend.

"All fouls for them," Arbeloa told Sky Sports post-match. "You can see before they scored, the foul against Maguire, he's a guy who is 100 kilos. Every decision was for them.

"And I knew. I knew after the game against Man City that they [would not] let Manchester United lose here. We deserved a little bit more.

"We were so close. So, so close. We were a little bit unlucky again. We knew it would be difficult against this big team.

"Also, we knew what happened last week. We have seen what the referees have been doing all match, so it was a difficult game. And we were unlucky."

The former Real Madrid boss clearly felt that the officials wanted to redeem themselves for not chalking off Haaland's winner, though his claims that "every decision" went United's way were far-fetched after a controversial moment went in their way.

READ NEXT: Marcus Rashford's performance for Man Utd vs Fulham has uncomfortable fans making the same point

Louis Saha addresses Fulham vs Man United penalty controversy

Just before Cunha scored United's equaliser, Fulham defender Calvin Bassey was accused of handball after Martinez's attempt struck him from point-blank range in the penalty area.

VAR looked at the decision but agreed with the assistant referee's view that Bassey had his arm close to his body - even though it struck his hand.

Analysing the decision on Sky Sports post-match, ex-United and Fulham striker Louis Saha felt it was a "50:50" call and it was "instinct" for Bassey to have his hand in that position.

"It's kind of a 50:50, you don't know now with the rules," Saha said. "It hits his hand. The natural instinct you have is to protect your face because you know you're going to be hit.

"It's different rules every weekend; we don't understand it. Some will blow, some will go on."

Fulham return from the international break with a trip to Ipswich Town on October 10, while Man United host Tottenham at Old Trafford.