Fan footage has emerged of Harry Maguire’s reaction as referee John Brooks conducted an on-screen review during Saturday's clash between Fulham and Manchester United.
Erik ten Hag was convinced his side had taken an early lead at Craven Cottage, when the in-form Scott McTominay poked home Alejandro Garnacho's pass across the face of goal.
But moments later, referee John Brooks was told to check the pitchside monitor by officials at Stockley Park.
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After a frustrating four-minute review, the goal was eventually ruled out after Harry Maguire was deemed to be offside in the build-up.
It was a controversial call, to say the least. Even though he didn't touch the ball, Maguire was judged to have affected play by impeding the Fulham defender – a call that divided opinion amongst supporters.
VAR deemed it to be a 'subjective' offside, meaning Brooks was called over to the monitor. Here, a clearly agitated Maguire made an attempt to sway the decision.
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“I wasn’t even involved ref," the England international says. "Hey! I wasn’t even involved. F****ing hell... I wasn’t even involved."
Ten seconds later, Brooks decided to chalk off McTominay's effort and the score remained at 0-0.
Here's how social media reacted to the viral footage.
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One said: "Really stepped up since his tough period, proper attitude and earning the right to wear that shirt. That’s how you take criticism and not forgetting stripping of captaincy and working hard. Best player on the pitch yesterday."
A second wrote: "Should never have taken captaincy off him," while a third commented: "Maguire growing on me as a bloke and a player in the last few weeks. Captain material."
A fourth added: "Our captain out there is laughing out loud on a ruled offside goal."
So what are the exact rules around an incident like this? According to IFAB’s laws of the game, a player can be penalised if they are in an offside position and become active in the phase of play.
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They do so by:
- preventing an opponent from playing or being able to play the ball by clearly obstructing the opponent’s line of vision
- or challenging an opponent for the ball or clearly attempting to play a ball which is close when this action impacts on an opponent
- or making an obvious action which clearly impacts on the ability of an opponent to play the ball
Manchester United went on to secure all three points thanks to a 91st minute winner from Bruno Fernandes. They currently sit eighth in the Premier League with 18 points from a possible 33.
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Featured Image Credit: Getty Images - X/@TenHagBall_Topics: Harry Maguire, Manchester United, Fulham, Premier League
