Fierce controversy after Man Utd's early goal against Liverpool

(Dan Tri) - The match between Liverpool and Man Utd witnessed a controversial situation after less than 70 seconds, when the away team's early goal was recognized despite a Liverpool player lying on the ground.

Just 62 seconds into the game, Bryan Mbeumo put Man Utd ahead with a powerful shot that beat Liverpool goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili. However, while Mbeumo and his teammates celebrated, Liverpool midfielder Alexis Mac Allister was lying on the field holding his head, creating a confusing situation for many spectators.

Earlier, Mac Allister had run back to try to compete for the ball in the air with Mbeumo and collided with teammate Virgil van Dijk. The collision left the Argentine on the ground; Mbeumo also fell but quickly got up and rushed forward to attack. The Cameroonian then received the ball in the penalty area and scored.

Mac Allister lay on the field with a head injury before Man Utd scored (Getty Images).

According to FA regulations, referees are instructed to stop the game when a player suffers a head injury to ensure safety. At Anfield, referee Michael Oliver did not blow his whistle, allowing Mbeumo to continue scoring. This caused a strong reaction from Liverpool's coaching staff and players. Coach Arne Slot argued with the fourth official, but that did not change the referee's decision.

This Is Anfield commented: “It was clear that Mac Allister had a head injury, and the decision not to stop the game properly left manager Slot frustrated. The Liverpool manager protested to the referee after Mbeumo’s opening goal, pointing to his head, but it was a futile protest.

VAR also failed to intervene, meaning Man Utd could only take an early lead at Anfield based on a subjective decision. However, it must also be acknowledged that the poor defending of Van Dijk, Konate and Mamardashvili.”

Commenting on the match live, former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher was also unhappy with referee Oliver's decision. He said: "Mac Allister is on the ground holding his head. The referee should have stopped the match."

However, Sky Sports commentator Peter Drury was quick to explain why referee Oliver allowed the match to continue: “The information we received from PGMOL (Professional Match Officials Association) is that the referee did not see the injury and could not stop the match.”

If Oliver had seen the incident, he could have stopped the game and prevented Mbeumo's goal. Video footage of the collision shows there was no foul on the part of the Man Utd player. Instead, it was Liverpool centre-back Van Dijk who accidentally elbowed Mac Allister in the back of the head during an aerial challenge, causing his teammate to fall to the ground.

Mac Allister was lying on the pitch while Man Utd scored. The Argentine suffered a head injury, but luckily he was able to continue playing with a rather special look. When he returned to the pitch, Mac Allister wore a helmet that looked like the kind used by synchronized swimmers.

Mac Allister put on his helmet and continued playing (Photo: Getty).

After conceding an early goal, Liverpool tried to attack in search of an equalizer. The home team was not really lucky when they missed many good chances - they hit the woodwork of Man Utd three times. It was not until the 78th minute that Cody Gakpo equalized 1-1 for Liverpool, but the joy of the home team only lasted 6 minutes. In the 84th minute, Harry Maguire scored the decisive goal, bringing a 2-1 victory for the "Red Devils" in the match of round 8 of the 2025-26 Premier League, taking place on the night of October 19.

The victory at Anfield helped Man Utd end a period of more than 9 years of only drawing and losing on the field of their arch-rivals. Meanwhile, the defeat against Man Utd caused Liverpool to fall into a serious crisis after experiencing 4 consecutive losses in all arenas. In the Premier League, Liverpool fell to 3rd place, 4 points behind the leader Arsenal.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/the-thao/tranh-cai-du-doi-sau-ban-thang-som-cua-man-utd-truoc-liverpool-20251020055516731.htm