Former captain Roy Keane insisted the officials were right to award Manchester United a first half penalty in Saturday's FA Cup final against Manchester City at Wembley.
After falling behind to Ilkay Gundogan's opener after just 13 seconds, United were handed a route back into the game just past the half hour mark, following a VAR review. Aaron Wan-Bissaka's header, which was intended to go back across the penalty area, struck the hand of Jack Grealish, who had jumped in an attempt to cut out the pass trying to reach Wan-Bissaka.
The awarding of the penalty infuriated everyone of a City persuasion, though the penalty was right to be awarded within the laws of the game concerning the handball rule. It is a rule that has found itself under deep scrutiny at various junctures throughout this season.
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Bruno Fernandes stepped up to convert the resulting penalty, bringing United level, only for Gundogan to bag his and City's second shortly after the half-time interval to put Pep Guardiola's side 2-1 ahead. Unsurprisingly, much of the conversation at half-time surrounded the penalty and the thinking behind it being awarded.
ITV Sport's commentary team, featuring Lee Dixon, who is a boyhood City supporter, and Ally McCoist, were insistent that a spot-kick should not have been awarded, questioning where Grealish was supposed to put his hand when jumping. Keane, on the other hand, thought it was a penalty and he took a tongue-in-cheek swipe at Dixon because of his City connections.
Keane, speaking on ITV Sport at half-time, said: "I think it's a penalty all day long. If there was any doubt about Lee Dixon, just to let you know, he is a City fan.
"He was really upset up there [on the gantry]. It was a penalty."
On the officials' decision to award the penalty, Keane added: "They have obviously looked at it and discussed it."
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