Fulham Boss Accuses Referees of Protecting Man United
Fulham coach Alvaro Arbeloa has accused match officials of protecting Manchester United from defeat following their 1-1 draw on Sunday, 20 September.
The two teams went head-to-head at Craven Cottage, Fulham’s home ground in London, England.
Matheus Cunha’s deflected 89th-minute strike rescued a 1-1 draw for United, 35 seconds after the Red Devils were awarded a free kick for Fulham’s Cesar Palacios’ challenge on Harry Maguire near the halfway line.
In a post-match interview with a British sports broadcaster, Arbeloa all but complained about the refereeing decisions made during the game.
“All fouls for them,” he commented. “You can see before they scored, the foul against Maguire … Every decision was for [United]. I knew after the game against Man City that [the referees] would not let Manchester United lose here.”
The 43-year-old Spaniard’s jibe refers to last weekend’s Manchester derby, during which match officials incorrectly awarded Erling Haaland’s winning goal for City.
In the press conference that followed, Arbeloa tried to soften his stance, though his frustration still shone through: “I need to be focused and put my energy [into] all the things that I have to improve … Like I said, I prefer to analyse the game … [but] you know when you draw a game like that, maybe you’re a little bit frustrated.”
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