Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Manchester Evening News
Manchester Evening News
Sport
Dan Brown

'Sick of these refs' - Man United fans slam officials following Europa League clash vs Barcelona

Manchester United fans criticised referee Maurizio Mariani for his performance in the Europa League play off clash with Barcelona on Thursday night.

Erik ten Hag's side drew 2-2 with the Catalan giants in the first leg, leaving the Reds in a decent position ahead of the return at Old Trafford next Thursday. The Nou Camp game was a classic which saw Barcelona go in front through Marcus Alonso before the in-form Marcus Rashford made it 1-1 just two minutes later with a clinical finish past Marc-Andre ter Stegen. United then went ahead thanks to an own goal from Jules Kounde before the hosts levelled 15 minutes from time through Raphina.

There was plenty to admire about ten Hag's side's performance but the United fans had a major gripe with the officials, believing Barcelona should have had a man sent off midway through the second half when Kounde felled Rashford. The in form United man had latched on to a Bruno Fernandes through ball and was seemingly brought down on the edge of the penalty area.

ALSO READ: Manchester United player ratings vs Barcelona

But referee Mariani decided against a red card for a last-man challenge, and didn't award a free kick. Ten Hag was understandably furious, which led to the Dutchman receiving his first booking of the campaign for venting his frustrations in the direction of the assistant referee.

There were several other controversial decisions on the night - for both sides - and the officials came under some criticism as a result. Here's how some Reds fans reacted to the referee's performance on social media...

READ NEXT:

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.