"What a farce" - Paul Robinson slams VAR for not overturning costly decision in Manchester United's draw against Watford

TV pundit Paul Robinson blasted VAR after Manchester United were denied a penalty against Watford last Saturday.

Cristiano Ronaldo went down inside the box following a heavy challenge from Hassane Kamara but referee Kevin Friend saw no infringement and waved play on. Lee Mason, who was manning the screens, could have instructed the on-field referee to review the incident but did not do so, leaving Robinson furious.

Speaking to Football Insider, the former England goalkeeper said:

"What a farce. I cannot understand why VAR did not overturn it. It makes absolutely no sense to me. Ok, I can maybe understand why the referee missed it but for the VAR official not to pull it up makes no sense. What is the point in VAR if it’s not to intervene in moments like that? That is what it’s there for."

He added:

"It was a clear and obvious error. In those situations, you have to at least ask the referee to go and have a second look at it. It cost Manchester United in the end."

Manchester United were the better team all evening but failed to find the back of the net. They had 22 shots to Watford's one but the Red Devils could not find a way past former United player Ben Foster.

Ronaldo hit the post in the fourth minute and had another goal-bound attempt blocked when it ricocheted off Anthony Elanga.

He did manage to put the ball in the back of the net when he tapped in a low cross but the goal was rightly ruled off for offside.

Bruno Fernandes missed three open chances to give United the lead and Ronaldo joined him in spurning open chances later in the game. The veteran forward grew increasingly frustrated as the evening wore on. His misery was compounded when VAR failed to award him the aforementioned penalty.

Draw could hurt Manchester United's chances of finishing in the top four

Aston Villa v Manchester United - Premier League

Although the draw still leaves the Red Devils fourth on the log with 47 points, the Red Devils have played three more games than Arsenal, who are sixth with 45 points.

Tottenham Hotspyr, who are also chasing a European place, have 42 points with two games in hand over United. Should Arsenal and Tottenham win all their unplayed matches, they can overtake United in the league standings.

Speaking to the media, Ralf Rangnick rued his side's missed chances which could have consolidated their push to finish in the top four

He told the media:

"Our job as coaches is to help the team create enough chances. If we only had two or three opportunities in the game we could ask ourselves, well what can we do to create more chances but I think the number of clear chances we had today has to be enough to win a game like this."

He added:

"Well, it feels once again like two points dropped, we should have easily won. We had enough chances in both halves to win that game, but we didn't and, not for the first time, we dropped two points in a very important game."

Manchester United's next game is against city rivals Manchester City on March 6.