Manchester United captain Harry Maguire has said he was only trying to stop Chelsea forward Michy Batshuayi from falling on him, after he escaped a red card in the first half of the Red Devils’ 2-0 win last night.
The 26-year-old kicked out when the two players came together on the touchline, but VAR opted against taking action on the incident. Asked after the game about what happened, Maguire said:
“I knew I caught him but I felt like he was going to fall on me and my natural reaction was to straighten my leg to try and, if he was to fall on me, hold him up. Obviously, I’ve got studs on my boots and it probably looks worse on TV.”
Fans on Twitter did not believe a word of it:
How did he keep a straight face whilst saying this ??
— ?Louis Mitchell? (@LouisMi96249582) 17 February 2020
Oh Harry ???
— Angela ??? (@vanwaitsy) 18 February 2020
I'm going out tomorrow, kicking people in the nuts and then apologising and saying I thought they were going to fall on me.
Might have to call Neighbourhood Watch for the VAR result.
— United We Believe (@UnitedWeBelieve) 18 February 2020
Mind blown?
— Macroy Fernandes ? (@MACROY_07) 18 February 2020
My captain ?✔️?? pic.twitter.com/wrRreed0B2
— Khuli (@Khuli56724218) 18 February 2020
Perfectly justifiable and the correct response because I believe him 100% ????
— Peter Burrell (@PeteBurrell) 18 February 2020
Yup, Batshuayi was definitely falling onto him! Luckily slabhead manage to save him from falling by supporting his nuts with his studs! pic.twitter.com/y6nPtjfVyc
— Boink (@Boink03812381) 18 February 2020
Lmao! My captain
— Atuma david (@atumadavid) 18 February 2020
Elaborate story or truth, only Harry knows.
— Si Reed (@WinLunGSD) 17 February 2020
Haha alright Harry ?? pic.twitter.com/syNtmiR2ir
— Nathan (@Nathaniel8601) 17 February 2020
The decision could have proved a turning point in the game, but luckily for United, Maguire stayed on the pitch and played a crucial role in securing the victory by scoring the second goal.
Chelsea manager Frank Lampard said after the game it was a “universally wrong decision” to not punish Maguire, but United supporters will not care.
The victory moves them up to seventh in the table, just three points off Tottenham in fifth, and four points off Chelsea in fourth place.