Cristian Romero's red card swung the momentum firmly in United's favour just before the half-hour mark, and the hosts took the lead shortly after through Bryan Mbeumo. United dominated after the break, and Bruno Fernandes made the points safe late on to ensure Michael Carrick's winning start as interim boss continued. Cristian Romero was the subject of 25 questions in Thomas Frank's pre-match press conference on Thursday, so of course, he was going to be the centre of attention at Old Trafford.
When play has continued the video assistant referee (VAR), Alex Chilowicz, has two things to consider. Firstly, was the foul itself a clear and obvious error and then was it definitely a denial of an obvious goal-scoring opportunity (DOGSO). The VAR cannot intervene purely on the free-kick, it has to be both a foul and a red card. Romero brought his left leg across the Brentford player, creating a barrier and halting his progress.
"It was an absolute mistake from the VAR," said Spurs boss Frank. "The referee did good to do the ref call and they encourage the refereeing call on the pitch. For me, that is never a penalty. "Even speaking to some from Newcastle [they] don't think it's a penalty and we need consistency. "I think the referee's call on the pitch, he nailed it, and VAR can only be if it's clear and obvious."
