Marcus Rashford was sent off in the first half of Manchester United's Champions League clash with Copenhagen at Parken Stadium on Wednesday night.
The forward was back in the team after missing out last weekend with a minor injury when United secured a much-needed Premier League win over Fulham.
But while Rasmus Hojlund took the first half headlines for all the right reasons in the Danish capital, Rashford made them for the wrong reasons as he didn’t make it to the interval.
The 26-year-old was given his marching orders for a clash with Copenhagen defender Elias Jellert. The coming together wasn’t initially spotted by Lithuanian referee Donatas Rumsas.
But a VAR review into a possible red card ensued and the official was called to take a second look.
What he saw on the pitchside monitor was Rashford make an attempt to protect the ball under pressure from Jellert. But in his effort to keep possession for his team, the United player’s foot went over the ball and connected with his opponent's ankle instead.
The contact with Jellert looked extremely painful for the defender, even more so when slowed down. His foot was planted and bent unnaturally when Rashford came through into him.
Rashford wasn't looking at Jellert and only had eyes for the ball, so it certainly wasn't malicious. But it was definitely reckless and endangered an opponent, which was why Rumsas reached for the red.
Rashford looked bemused by the decision, while ex-United players Owen Hargreaves and Paul Scholes in the TNT Sports studio went to bat for him.
"Not in a million years [was it a red card]," Hargreaves claimed. "Marcus is just trying to put his leg in front of the ball. He's not even looking at the ball. When you see a still as a referee, it looks horrendous. It's not malicious, it's not serious foul play."
Scholes added: "I think that's where the understanding of the referee has to come into it. It's an accident. He's trying to plant his foot and protect the ball."
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This article was originally published on 90min as Why Marcus Rashford was sent off for Man Utd against Copenhagen.
