Marcus Rashford was sent off as Man United lost their third game out of four in the Champions League group stage at Copenhagen.
Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag complained that Copenhagen’s first two goals should not have been allowed to stand in their uproarious 4-3 victory.
Copenhagen recovered from 2-0 down and 3-2 down to record their first Champions League win this season against United 17 years on from beating Sir Alex Ferguson’s side at the Parken Stadium.
United were coasting until Marcus Rashford was sent off in the 42nd minute for a studs-up challenge on Elias Jelert and Copenhagen scored twice in quick succession before the interval.
Ten Hag claimed Mohamed Elyounoussi’s goal should have been chalked off as a Copenhagen player was offside and in Andre Onana’s eyeline, while he also disputed the decision to penalise Harry Maguire for handball inside his own area that allowed Diogo Goncalves to equalise from the penalty spot.
United have conceded a spotkick in all four of their Champions League matches and Ten Hag believes three of them have been debatable.
“We are very disappointed and because you play very good,” Ten Hag said. “I think we started the game so well, the best 10 minutes of the season, we are winning the game and the red card changes everything.
“We concede two goals before half-time which should never count. First is offside, the second a penalty. That is in four games, four penalties against, I say three are very debatable.
“The first is an offside goal, there is a player is in front of Andre. The second is like the ball on the hand, but it’s so close and the hand is in a normal position.
“It’s like Christian Eriksen in Munich, what can you do with it? Also for Scott McTominay (against Copenhagen at Old Trafford), it’s very debatable. The game can’t be like this, it has to be a certain aspect of objective and that’s not the case.”
Ten Hag also criticised the VAR process that led to Rashford’s expulsion. The big screens in the Parken Stadium indicated the check was over but the Lithuanian referee Donatas Rumsas then checked the monitor.
The replays of the challenge were freeze-framed and slowed down, which Ten Hag felt presented the challenge out of context to the on-pitch referee.
“It’s also harsh, he went for the ball and the referee needs such a long time,” Ten Hag stressed. “You say it very good (that the replays are out of context).
“I think when you freeze it, it always looks so worse and, as I say, it takes them so long and they make a red card of it. I’m very disappointed about such decisions. The game is never meant to be like this, this has nothing to do with football, decisions have to be made and I accept also wrong decisions are made by some at this level.
“Three such tough decisions, you control the game and the game is never meant to be for that.”
