Manchester United 2 – 1 Leicester City
Van Nistelrooy Takes Dig at Offside Controversy After Man Utd Defeat Leicester
Manchester United manager Rúben Amorim insists his team’s last-minute victory had “nothing to do with Fergie Time.” Interestingly, Leicester City coach Ruud van Nistelrooy echoed a similar sentiment, stating, “We didn’t lose in Fergie Time.” But his next words were what truly sparked debate: “We lost in Offside Time.”
The term “Fergie Time” was coined during Sir Alex Ferguson’s era at United, when the team often clinched victories with late goals. Van Nistelrooy, who played for United from 2001 to 2006, was part of that golden period. Meanwhile, Amorim was still a young player in Portugal’s youth setup.
Last night, United edged past Leicester 2-1 in their FA Cup fourth-round clash, with the winning goal coming in the 93rd minute. Amorim defended the late goal, saying his team believed in themselves until the end and that their win had nothing to do with the legendary “Fergie Time.”
Van Nistelrooy Slams Offside Goal Decision
However, Van Nistelrooy was far from convinced. He had a strong reason to protest—United’s match-winning goal should have been ruled offside, but it stood, eliminating Leicester from the tournament. To make things worse, Van Nistelrooy’s much-anticipated return to Old Trafford as a coach ended in controversy. Hence, his sarcastic jab: “We lost in Offside Time.”
Social media exploded with reactions. Some fans joked that Harry Maguire’s header was “the most offside goal in football history.”
Leicester had taken the lead in the 42nd minute when Bobby De Cordova-Reid scored from a rebound after United goalkeeper André Onana’s initial save. In the 68th minute, United equalized in a similar fashion—Rasmus Højlund’s shot was blocked, but the rebound fell to forward Joshua Zirkzee, who converted.
The Offside Controversy
In stoppage time, United won a free kick. Bruno Fernandes delivered the cross, and Maguire’s header found the net. However, Maguire was in an offside position when the ball was played—yet the linesman missed it. Adding to the drama, VAR (Video Assistant Referee) was not in use at this stage of the FA Cup.
Back in December, the FA (Football Association) had confirmed that VAR would only be introduced from the fifth round onward. As a result, the decision had to be made by the on-field officials.
Blatant Offside Missed by Officials
What’s shocking is that it wasn’t just Maguire—four United players were offside, as images later showed on social media. But no whistle was blown. Former United midfielder and Sky Sports pundit Roy Keane was baffled by the call, saying, “There’s no excuse for the linesman to miss that. United got away with one.”
Even Amorim later admitted that the goal wouldn’t have stood if VAR had been in place. “With VAR, that’s not a goal. It’s important to have VAR for fairness in the game. Losing due to offside is tough, but luck was on our side this time,” he said.
Van Nistelrooy Outraged
Van Nistelrooy, however, didn’t hold back his frustration. “It wasn’t Fergie Time—we lost in Offside Time,” he said bluntly. “A clear mistake decided the game. We didn’t deserve this. VAR rules out offside by centimeters, yet this was half a meter off. We should have gone to extra time and maybe even penalties. It’s hard to accept such a decision at this level.”
The FA Cup’s fifth round will finally see VAR being implemented for the first time this season. In its December 16 statement, the FA explained, “Due to infrastructure, costs, and operational scope, VAR has only been used in Wembley and Premier League matches in previous FA Cup rounds.”
As United move on, Leicester are left to wonder what could have been—if only VAR had been in play a round earlier.
