Ex-Premier League referee Mark Halsey has said Dermot Gallagher makes him 'furious' after his old colleague agreed to the call not to award Rasmus Hojlund a penalty during the Manchester derby
After Josko Gvardiol headed the hosts into the lead during a scrappy first half at the Etihad, Ruben Amorim's side returned from the break looking for an equalizer against their fierce rivals.
Chances largely proved difficult to come by for United, but they looked to have a golden opportunity to equalize when Rasmus Hojlund was brought down by Ruben Dias just after the hour mark.
Hojlund had found his way into the penalty area before being brought down by Dias, when the Portuguese's left leg appeared to trip him.
The United players immediately appealed to referee Anthony Taylor, but he waved away their protests and awarded a goal kick to the hosts, much to the dismay of the traveling fans.
In the Sky Sports 'Ref Watch' segment, Gallagher insisted Hojlund went down too easily and was looking for a penalty.
“I just thought Hojlund was happy to go down. I didn't think he was really interested in chasing the ball. His knees were shaking,” he said.
And Halsey, who retired as a professional referee at the end of the 2012-13 season, slammed Gallagher, posting on X: “I stopped watching the show because it infuriates me.”
Meanwhile, United legend Gary Neville had his say on the incident while providing commentary.
'It's awkward. It was just kind of coming together as they both try to fall,” Neville said. 'He seemed to step over the Man United striker.'
However, after watching a replay of the incident, the former defender claimed United were unlucky not to have been awarded a penalty.
In the end it didn't matter for United as they scored two late goals to earn a valuable victory over their rivals at the Etihad Stadium.
Bruno Fernandes scored from the spot after Amad Diallo was brought down before Diallo then converted in the final minutes of the match to win the match.
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