Manchester United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer branded Nemanja Matic’s sending off in Wednesday night’s Carabao Cup semi-final ‘a joke’, as his side were knocked out despite a 1-0 second-leg win over Manchester City at the Etihad.
Trailing 3-1 from the first-leg, United gave themselves a sniff of an unlikely turnaround when Matic thundered home midway through the first-half, but they were unable to find the goal that would have forced a penalty shootout, leaving City to advance as 3-2 aggregate winners.
Solskjaer’s men were outplayed for much of the game, but City’s profligacy in front of goal left the door ajar, only for Matic’s sending off for a second bookable offence 14 minutes from time to all-but end hopes of a late leveller.
Afterwards, the Norwegian voiced his frustration at referee Kevin Friend’s decision, suggesting City had received preferential treatment.
“It’s hard to go here and score a goal with 11, never mind ten,” he told Sky Sports. “Never a sending off, absolute, for me, a joke. It’s ironic that he gets a yellow card on his first foul, almost gets a yellow on his second foul which isn’t even a foul, and yep, the last one is a yellow card, but nowhere near.
“How many times did they foul us? How many times was Dan James fouled? How many times, in the first-half, Jesse [Lingard]?”
