Palace goalkeeper Dean Henderson appeared to handle the ball outside the penalty area to deny Haaland a chance
Crystal Palace secured their first-ever FA Cup title with a 1-0 victory over Manchester City, but the triumph was marred by a contentious VAR decision involving goalkeeper Dean Henderson.
In the 23rd minute, Henderson appeared to handle the ball outside his penalty area to thwart Erling Haaland’s goal-scoring opportunity. Despite VAR reviewing the incident, no red card was issued. The explanation provided was that Haaland’s direction was “away from goal”, thus not constituting an “obvious goal-scoring opportunity” .
The decision drew sharp criticism from pundits. Wayne Rooney, speaking on BBC One, said: “It is a red card – 100% a red card.” He further lambasted VAR, saying: “Just get rid of VAR. They have made a mistake, and now they are trying to cover up.”
Former referee Mark Clattenburg has also disagreed with VAR’s assessment, saying that Henderson’s handball denied Haaland a clear goal-scoring opportunity, which meant that it warranted a red card .
Henderson’s performance throughout the game was sublime. He made several crucial saves, including a penalty stop against Omar Marmoush. If he had been sent off, it is almost certain that Crystal Palace could not have achieved their historic trophy win.
