Moyes slams refereeing in Cup semifinal
Man U boss concerned about having to play officials as well as opposition
MANCHESTER United have to play the officials as well as the opposition, manager David Moyes complained after his side were beaten 2-1 by Sunderland in the League Cup semifinal first leg.
Moyes, under pressure after losing his third consecutive game in all competitions, pointed the finger at referee Andre Marriner, whom he criticised for awarding a free kick that led to Sunderland’s opening goal on Tuesday.
The referee also had a decisive hand in Sunderland’s winner, pointing to the penalty spot in the second half after Adam Johnson had been felled by Tom Cleverley, allowing Fabio Borini to smash the spot kick into the roof of the net.
“It is difficult, we just need to keep going,” Moyes said. “We didn’t do a lot wrong. I thought the referee was going to blow in our direction for [the free kick that led to] the first goal. I couldn’t believe he gave [Sunderland] a free kick. It was a terrible decision.
“We are all just laughing at them [the officials] at the moment. It looks as though we are having to play them [officials] as well as the opposition at the moment.”
United, who were knocked out of the FA Cup by Swansea City on Sunday and beaten by Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League on New Year’s Day, have endured a miserable start to the campaign under Moyes.
With the club seventh in the Premier League and 11 points behind leaders Arsenal, the League Cup had taken on added significance as Moyes’s most likely route to silverware.
He remains confident of getting a result in the second leg on January 22, to tee up a likely final against Manchester City, who play West Ham United in the other semifinal.
Sunderland made the breakthrough in first-half injury time when Jonny Evans gave away a needless free kick and Seb Larsson’s whipped set piece was diverted in by Ryan Giggs under pressure from former United player Phil Bardsley.
The gloom among the travelling fans was briefly lifted seven minutes into the second half when Serb defender Nemanja Vidic, returning to the side, drew them level with a towering far-post header.
Yet it was Sunderland who displayed a resilience lacking for much of their league campaign, retaking the lead through on-loan Liverpool forward Borini from the penalty spot.
There was no backs-to-the-wall finale and it was Sunderland, who had not beaten United in 20 matches, who looked the more likely to increase their lead, with United leaving it late before throwing bodies forward to try and grab an equaliser. – Reuters