Premier League's fury at Man Utd fans! Social media row sparked over 'community notes' explaining lack of red card in Brentford loss

According to reports by The Sun, PGMOL bosses have 'privately conceded' that Collins should have been sent off. The Republic of Ireland centre-back dragged back former team-mate Bryan Mbeumo in the penalty area as the £71million United forward tried to get onto Matheus Cunha’s cross. Collins was given a yellow card alongside the penalty, which was missed by United skipper Bruno Fernandes. The PGMOL have since accepted that they made the wrong decision.

This was not before United fans had cooked up a social media storm, though, hitting out at the Premier League Match Centre’s initial explanation on X of the decision not to send off Collins as ‘misinformation’.

The social media platform has a ‘community note’ feature which prevents the spread of misinformation, and this was flagged by the post. This led to official contact from X, with the referees’ organisation forced to defend their post, claiming it was a ‘statement of fact’ based upon clearly defined rationale. They added that if the decision was correct was a completely different judgement call.

The stir on social media reflects the sustained levels of controversy surrounding high-profile refereeing decisions in the Premier League, despite the perceived clarity of decision-making which was supposed to be brought by VAR. In this instance, Collins was reportedly spared as Mbeumo ‘was not in control of the ball’, though this very fact was only as his opponent had pulled him away from the ball and off balance. Double jeopardy laws then come into play.

Double jeopardy rules mean that foul leading to a penalty can only be a red card if a player denies an obvious goalscoring opportunity while making no attempt to play the ball, making a motion such as the pull of the shirt made by Collins. The PGMOL have since admitted privately that they made the wrong decision not to show Collins a straight red card.

Red Devils fans were not the only ones to react with disbelief when Collins stayed on the pitch last weekend. Former Newcastle United striker Alan Shearer slammed the decision on Match of the Day.

"So they should [be aggrieved]. Yes, they got the penalty but what they didn't get, the officials, it should have been a red card as well," said Shearer.

"They get it right in terms of the referee's call: he gives the penalty for the pull back. But what they didn't get right was the yellow card check for Collins.

"They deemed that Mbeumo wasn't in control of the ball, I mean honestly, it's just a terrible decision. He can't be in control of the ball because someone is pulling him back, he's a yard from the ball, clearly.

"Yes, [Fernandes] had to wait four-and-a-half minutes before getting to that decision but that's a mistake from him. [Collins] should have been sent off - absolutely no doubt about it."

Whether United are to receive an official apology from the PGMOL over the decision remains to be seen and is frankly immaterial given how often it seems to occur. But had Collins been sent off in the match, we may have seen an entirely different result. As it is, United find themselves in the bottom half once again. With all the wealth involved in the Premier League, fans are right to feel aggrieved as wrong calls can cost them dearly.

Ruben Amorim’s side host Sunderland next, amidst increasing pressure on the Portuguese’s job at Old Trafford. A difficult run of fixtures including trips to Anfield and the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium follow.