Solskjaer questions use of VAR for first Man United penalty

OLE GUNNAR SOLSKJAER believes Manchester United should not have been awarded their first penalty against Norwich City after another Premier League match dominated by contentious VAR decisions.

United were given two spot-kicks at Carrow Road on Sunday, but Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial both failed to beat Tim Krul.

Rashford and Martial did get on the scoresheet, however, as Solskjaer’s side, who went ahead thanks to Scott McTominay, cruised to a 3-1 win – their first away league victory in nine attempts.

Both penalties were awarded by VAR, which also played a huge part in Arsenal’s draw with Crystal Palace, while the system caused controversy on Saturday when it was used to award Brighton and Hove Albion a spot-kick against Everton.

United’s first penalty came when Daniel James and Ben Godfrey collided in the area and, while Solskjaer believes the Red Devils’ second penalty for a handball by Todd Cantwell was justified, he questioned the initial intervention.

“I don’t want to talk too much about VAR. I disagree with the first one,” Solskjaer told BBC Sport.

“The second one is [a penalty] but both should be retaken, the goalkeeper is a yard off his line. We are talking about it again.

“VAR is there to help but when it takes ages like the first penalty, it is not a clear and obvious error. When it took that long, it is a signal that it should not have been [given].”

United’s form has picked up since coming back from the international break, with Solskjaer’s team having followed up the 1-1 draw against league leaders Liverpool last Sunday with successive victories.

“I have been hurt by the results,” Solskjaer continued. ”This has been a good week for us. It started with a decent performance against Liverpool and now two wins away from home. It gives the players confidence and momentum.”

Martial – who only returned from a thigh injury against Liverpool - has scored in United’s past two matches, netting the winner against Partizan Belgrade and getting over his penalty miss at Carrow Road with a quality finish.

“We have missed Anthony, he is a very important player for us, the way we play, and Rashford was excellent down the sides and in the middle,” Solskjaer said.

“A great response to missing the penalty, chasing back and scoring.

“The third was a very good goal and a class finish. It is great for Anthony to score a goal like that. We could and should have had a few more goals.”

- Omni