OLD TRAFFORD EFFECT: OLIVER GLASNER BLAMES "STADIUM BIAS" FOR PALACE’S PENALTY HEARTBREAK
Oliver Glasner blasted the "Old Trafford effect" after Crystal Palace’s lead vanished following a controversial penalty and red card.
Crystal Palace boss Oliver Glasner didn’t hold back after Sunday’s match against Manchester United. Palace went into halftime up 1-0 thanks to a header from Maxence Lacroix, but then everything flipped. In the second half, Lacroix dragged down Matheus Cunha, and referee Chris Kavanagh immediately pointed to the spot. VAR took a look, and Lacroix got a red card.
Kavanagh explained the decision: “Crystal Palace number five commits a clear holding offence which denies a clear, obvious goal-scoring opportunity. The final decision is a penalty and a red card.”
Glasner was furious after the match. “The red card changed everything,” he said. “Honestly, it’s a really tough call. The foul starts outside the box. Cunha’s clever; he waits until he’s inside and then goes down.”
Reporters pressed him about it again, and Glasner just shook his head. “We spoke to the fourth official. They had to check if it was offside, where the foul started, and if it was a red card. There were a lot of things to look at. But I still think it’s the wrong call. That’s not a penalty. Maybe it’s a red for a foul outside the box, but the contact starts before. Maybe that’s just the Old Trafford effect.”
Chris Richards, Palace’s defender, echoed those feelings when he spoke to Sky Sports. He called Cunha "smart". Richards said, “You get an early 1-0 lead, and you want to build on that. But after the red card, United had all the momentum. We’re disappointed, but honestly, I’m proud of how we played today.”
He added, “Playing at Old Trafford, you kind of expect the home side to get a call like that. That’s just football. Cunha’s smart; he feels a tug in the box, and he goes down. Fair play to him. Going down to ten hurt us, sure, but you can’t fault the effort. No matter how many we had on the pitch, we played well.”
SUNDERLAND CONDEMNS "VILE" RACIST ABUSE AIMED AT BRIAN BROBBEY AFTER SPURS WIN
Brian Brobbey targeted online! Sunderland and the Premier League unite against "vile" discrimination after Spurs win.
Sunderland called out the racist abuse aimed at Brian Brobbey on social media and made it clear they stand fully behind him.
Brobbey was targeted online right after Sunderland’s 1-0 win over Tottenham in the Premier League on Sunday. On Monday, the club released a statement: “Sunderland condemns in the strongest possible terms the racist abuse directed at Brian Brobbey on social media following Sunday’s fixture against Tottenham. We stand firmly with Brian and offer him our full and unwavering support.”
Sadly, this isn’t the first time Sunderland players have had to deal with this kind of abuse this season. After February’s match against Fulham, Romaine Mundle received hateful messages online, and last month the Tyne-Wear derby had to be paused when someone in the crowd reportedly aimed abuse at Lutsharel Geertruida.
The club’s statement continued: “This isn’t an isolated event. The recent abuse aimed at Romaine Mundle and Lutsharel Geertruida shows just how often and how unacceptably this keeps happening, both at matches and on the internet. We’ve reported this latest incident to the Premier League, the social media platforms, and the police, and we expect them to act quickly against the people responsible. Racism is vile, and it doesn’t belong in football or anywhere else. We’ll keep calling it out, clearly and without hesitation, every time it happens. Football should be safe and welcoming for everyone, no exceptions.”
The Premier League is backing Brobbey as well. In a post on their X account, they said they’re “disgusted by the ongoing discrimination” players keep facing online. “We stand alongside Sunderland in strongly condemning the online racist abuse Brian Brobbey has received and have offered our full support to him and the club. We are disgusted by the ongoing discrimination players are facing on social media and are committed to working with clubs, authorities, law enforcement, and social media companies to address this issue, as well as supporting investigations to bring those responsible to justice.
Anyone found guilty of discrimination will face the toughest possible punishments: jail time, football bans, and even a criminal record.”
DAVID MOYES REVEALS "NERVES" AS EVERTON HUNT HISTORIC CHAMPIONS LEAGUE QUALIFICATION SPOT
David Moyes admits Everton's Champions League hunt is nerve-wracking. See the latest on the Toffees' battle for Europe.
David Moyes admits the idea of Everton making the Champions League this soon in their rebuild actually makes him “shake a wee bit.”
You look at the club now, and it's hard to believe where they were just 14 months ago. When Moyes returned, Everton looked beaten down from years of fighting to stay up. Suddenly, with only seven games left, they’re sitting eighth. That spot could mean Europa Conference League football, but after their win against Chelsea before the break, they’re now just three points off fourth. It’s wild to even talk about the Champions League, but it’s right there in reach.
Reporters put the question to him how does it feel to be this close? With Europe’s spots possibly extending down to fifth (or maybe even further, depending on how other English clubs do), Moyes wasn’t hiding his nerves: “It’s probably the best shot we’ve had in a long time. But when I hear ‘Champions League’? Makes me shake a wee bit, honestly. I’ve been lucky to manage in Europe’s other competitions lately, and if we do make it, I’m sure we’d be able to hold our own at certain stages. Still, the Champions League is just on another level.”
Everton’s next match at Brentford looks huge for their European dreams. Brentford beat them earlier in the season, and right now, both teams are level, separated only by goal difference.
Moyes is clearly enjoying this chapter. “Listen, Europe’s Europe. If someone had said at the start, ‘You’re going to get European football,’ we’d have snapped their hand off. It could be the tiddlywinks European cup, and we’d be up for it. Evertonians want the club back in those conversations. We’re getting attention for the new stadium, we’ve got a couple of England internationals getting noticed more, it’s a good time. If we do sneak into the Champions League, it’d be an unbelievable achievement. But honestly, no matter which competition we make, it’s still a big step forward for us.”
