'Never a foul' - Martin Odegaard slams VAR disallowing Arsenal goal in Manchester United defeat

Martin Odegaard has expressed his annoyance at the decision to chalk off an early Arsenal goal in their 3-1 defeat to Manchester United.

The Gunners thought they had taken a 12th-minute lead when Gabriel Martinelli produced a classy finish to beat David de Gea. But the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) alerted on-pitch official Paul Tierney to a potential foul in the build-up to the goal, committed by Odegaard on Christian Eriksen.

After viewing the replays on the pitchside monitor, Tierney reversed his original decision and chalked the goal off to the delight of United and their fans, but - to the chagrin of Arsenal.

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"In my opinion it is never a foul," Odegaard told Sky Sports post-match. "I think the referee sees it and he says play on. It's a soft challenge and for VAR to come in it has to be clear and obvious.

"For me it is very, very soft. You can always make it look worse on camera. But it's never a foul and the referee said play on so it is frustrating."

Odegaard was seen appealing to Tierney at half-time, which saw the hosts go in 1-0 up thanks to Antony's debut goal.

Despite Bukayo Saka restoring parity on the hour mark, a Marcus Rashford brace ensured the points stayed in Manchester to inflict a first defeat of the season upon Mikel Arteta's side.

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