Leicester City were knocked out of the FA Cup late on against Manchester United and one controversial moment has stolen the talking points.
Leicester went in against Manchester United unfancied having won just one of their previous eight matches in the league.
However, when Bobby De Cordova Reid handed Ruud van Nistelrooy’s men a deserved lead before half-time the away contingent would have been dreaming of a famous victory.
The Foxes looked comfortable for most of the game until Joshua Zirkzee scored in the 68th minute, and then Ruben Amorim’s side looked the most likely to score the winner.
Unfortunately, that came controversially, as Harry Maguire was in an offside position when he headed home a Bruno Fernandes cross.
Van Nistelrooy was angered by the terrible refereeing call and Ian Wright also had his say on the blatant error.
Ian Wright warns Ruud van Nistelrooy’s future is at risk after Man Utd defeat
Since VAR won’t be introduced till the FA Cup fifth round, there was a reliance on the referees making a key correct decision in real-time and getting it wrong.
Maguire was in a clear offside position but the linesman didn’t see it, which sparked disbelief from those in the stands, online and live in the ITV studio.
Speaking post-match about the decision, Wright highlighted his sympathy towards Van Nistelrooy, feeling that such an error could impact his managerial career massively.
“It’s tough enough as it is when you look at how far offside he is that does not need VAR the linesman is right in line with it,” the Arsenal legend said.
“That impacts him [van Nistelrooy], that will impact his managerial career because it’s another game that goes down as a loss.”
Agreeing with his colleague, former midfielder Roy Keane replied: “We talk about Manchester United needed luck but you’ve got to get those decisions right and that’s a shocking decision.
Wright then finished: “That could have been a really big confidence boost for them to get that result and go again, now they’ve lost that and they’ve got to pick themselves up again because of the officials.”
- READ MORE: ‘Cheated’ – Leicester City fans left fuming over blatant refereeing error in Man Utd FA Cup defeat
Van Nistelrooy’s Leicester record makes for grim reading
Leicester were much improved from their display against Everton on Saturday but perhaps knew they had to be.
The visitors knocked the ball around well and dictated proceedings on the big Old Trafford pitch. Unfortunately, thanks to Maguire’s controversial goal, they were left with that familiar sinking feeling.
In just his 13th match in charge of Leicester, this was Van Nistelrooy’s ninth defeat, with eight of those coming in the Premier League.
The 48-year-old has tallied just three wins since taking the job in November. Perhaps a shock victory against his former club would have helped galvanise his side however, they were made to suffer for an unforgivable error.