Crystal Palace goalkeeper Dean Henderson was at the centre of attention during Saturday’s FA Cup final against Manchester City.
The England goalkeeper, who superbly kept out Omar Marmoush’s penalty by diving full stretch to his right among a string of fine saves, inspired the Eagles to a 1-0 win at Wembley.
But should Palace number one have been on the pitch to make those vital interventions?
City defender Josko Gvardiol played a long ball over the top for Erling Haaland to chase on to. Henderson hesitated before stretching out a hand outside the box to divert the ball away from the City striker.
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As occurs with every decision, the video assistant referee (VAR) checked the incident and allowed play to continue without any sanction.
The explanation given was: “The direction in which Erling Haaland was going made it possible, but not [denying] an obvious goal scoring opportunity.”
Former Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney said on the BBC One coverage that it was “100% a red card” and called for “get rid of VAR”.
