Amidst the post-match focus on Arne Slot’s comments regarding Alexis Mac Allister’s head injury, a significant moment involving Amad Diallo’s went largely unnoticed following the Manchester United win over Liverpool.
Slot was vocal in his frustration over the decision not to stop play, arguing that Liverpool do not fake injuries and that the match should have been halted before United took the lead.
Much of the talk since has centred around those claims, but a potential handball by Amad went largely unmentioned, even though it could have had a major impact on the outcome.
Mark Clattenburg has since weighed in on the incident and explained why he found Amad’s reaction frustrating.
Mark Clattenburg comments on Amad Diallo’s handball decision
Early in the match, with Man United holding a slim lead, Cody Gakpo found space out wide and went up against Amad, who was filling in at right wing-back – a decision from Ruben Amorim that came under real pressure.
Gakpo swung in a cross that struck Amad’s arm. While his arm was close to his body and looked to be in a natural position, there were immediate shouts for handball from the Liverpool players.
The referee dismissed the penalty claims on the pitch, and the Ivorian winger signalled straight away that the ball had hit his chest.
On the Beyond The Back Four podcast, Clattenburg backed the official’s call but took issue with how Amad handled it.
The former Premier League referee said: “I never thought it was at the time, and I’ve watched it many times again. The arms are in a natural position.
“What he tries to do is tell the referee it’s hit his chest. That winds me up. It didn’t hit his chest, it hit his arm, but he’s turning away and his arms were quite close to his body.”
“What we’ve got to understand in the Premier League is they seem to have a higher threshold for handballs. Love it or hate it, we are getting less and less handballs when the ball strikes the arm, and I’m quite happy with that.”
How Man Utd found fortune on their side against Liverpool
Before the win over Liverpool, the narrative around Man United’s season had been about good performances not matching up with results.
Whether it was the match against Arsenal, which Amorim often referenced, or missed opportunities against Fulham and Grimsby, there were plenty of examples where things did not go their way.
But against Liverpool, they got the breaks they had been missing and put in a display that made it feel justified.
They took control early, dictated play, and pushed Liverpool into mistakes that spread uncertainty throughout Anfield.
The handball decision involving Amad summed up the mood for Liverpool. They were grasping at half-chances rather than building pressure in any meaningful way.
Liverpool hit the post a couple of times and felt hard done by some calls. But this time, it was United who benefited from a bit of luck – something that had eluded them until now.
For Amorim, this was the moment when things finally fell into place – and he could not have asked for better timing.
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