“Just get rid of VAR!” - Wayne Rooney reacts to controversial Dean Henderson red card offence during Crystal Palace’s FA Cup win over Manchester City

Manchester United icon Wayne Rooney reacted to a controversial moment from goalkeeper Dean Henderson in Crystal Palace's 1-0 win over Manchester City in the FA Cup final on May 17. The Englishman lambasted the video assistant referee (VAR), claiming that the decision was so bad that the authorities must do away with it.

In the 16th minute at Wembley, Palace launched a swift counter-attack and Eberechi Eze swept Daniel Munoz's low cross home to put the Eagles in the lead. City kept the pressure on, eventually resulting in a misjudgment from Henderson in the 26th minute.

Haaland and Henderson contested for a long ball near the box, with the former pressing the latter into a mistake. Although his feet were inside the box, the shotstopper stuck an arm outside the box and slapped the ball away from the Norwegian marksman.

The check from VAR concluded that the offence did not warrant a red card. The controversial decision immediately became the subject of discussion, with multiple pundits delivering their verdicts.

When asked about his opinion on the matter on BBC Sport, Rooney said (via SportBible on Instagram):

"Just get rid of VAR! They've made a mistake so now they're trying to cover it up for their mate out there! It's a red card! How can they get this wrong?"

Just seven minutes after the incident, Henderson saved a penalty from Omar Marmoush to keep Crystal Palace's lead intact. Despite a barrage of attacks from Manchester City, the London side held on to the 1-0 scoreline to win the first major trophy in their 164-year history.

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VAR explains why Dean Henderson was not awarded a red card in Crystal Palace's 1-0 FA Cup final win vs Manchester City

The video assistant referee explained why Dean Henderson avoided a red in the 26th minute of Crystal Palace's 1-0 win over Manchester City in the FA Cup final.

Although the 28-year-old keeper had his feet planted inside the box, he stuck his arm out and swatted the ball away from City forward Erling Haaland. The VAR, Jarred Gillett, had a good look at the incident and decided not to send the shotstopper off.

After the game, the VAR team's explanation was read out on ITV. It read (via Manchestercity.news):

"The VAR has had a good look at it and has decided that the direction of play was going to the wide area, and therefore it wasn’t the denial of a goalscoring opportunity."

The 1-0 win secured Crystal Palace their first trophy in 34 years. It also meant that Manchester City ended the season trophyless for the first time since Pep Guardiola's debut campaign (2016-17), casting a shadow of doubt over his future.