Hackett Exclusive: Man United will be sanctioned for their players’ behaviour v Everton
Man United are set to be hit with a sanction for the manner in which the squad behaved during the controversial penalty call against Everton, says Keith Hackett.
The former PGMOL chief and ex-FIFA official exclusively told Football Insider that the United players surrounding the referee will not go unpunished.
There was late drama at Goodison Park on Saturday (February) as United came from two goals down to rescue a point at 2-2, but Everton felt they should have had a penalty in the dying embers of the game.
| Match Stats | Everton | Man United |
| Possession | 37% | 63% |
| Shots | 9 | 9 |
| Shots on target | 8 | 3 |
| Passes | 313 | 533 |
| Fouls | 12 | 9 |
Ashley Young appeared to be fouled by Harry Maguire and Mattijs de Ligt inside the box during injury time, which led to Andy Madley awarding a penalty kick.
However, after an on-field review following VAR intervention, the Everton penalty decision was controversially overturned.
Hackett exclusively told Football Insider that he believed Everton should have been awarded a penalty, with the original on-field decision being correct.
Ex-PGMOL chief reveals an incident report will be filled out for Man United
Hackett told Football Insider, “When Andy Madley pointed to the penalty mark, he had made the right decision.
“[The] problem was he was then surrounded by a minimum of three Manchester United players protesting, that triggers off a special incident report by the referee post-match which should lead to a sanction on Manchester United.
“The penalty kick decision was the right one and it is difficult to understand why Matt Donohue, in VAR, asked Andy Madley to go to the screen to review the incident.
“The critical point here was that Madley was not shown all the appropriate angles and made his decision on one view, the wrong decision to reverse his decision.
“What a pity, because Andy Madley has made good progress in the league, season to date.
“This is what he does not want to happen in the games he is officiating.”
Ashley Young was left furious with the decision
The penalty decision was one that had everyone talking, with boxing legend Tony Bellew calling Madley a “cheat” for overturning his original decision.
Young weighed in on the situation after the match, referencing Jose Mourinho’s infamous: “I prefer not to speak, if I speak I am in big trouble” quote.
United legend David de Gea even liked Young’s post to showcase his support for the Everton star.
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