Man Utd 1-0 Wolves: Erik ten Hag & Gary O’Neil disagree over Andre Onana penalty incident

Erik ten Hag claimed he didn’t feel the ‘need’ to comment on Gary O’Neil’s claim that Andre Onana tried to take Sasa Kalajdzic’s ‘head off’ following an incident in the latter stages of Manchester United’s 1-0 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers.

The Red Devils began the 2023/24 Premier League campaign with three points despite putting in an underwhelming display at Old Trafford. Raphael Varane’s header separated the sides but it was Wolves who were the better sides for long periods of the encounter.

The visitors thought they had earned a penalty kick in the dying embers of the game, after Onana clattered into Kalajdzic as he came to claim a cross. Incredibly, referee Simon Hooper didn’t award a spot-kick, and even more remarkably, VAR didn’t overturn the initial decision from the official. In fact, it was O'Neil who received a booking for his touchline complaints.

Speaking to Sky Sports after the game, the recently appointed Wolves boss was flabbergasted that his side hadn’t been handed a penalty.

“I thought live that it was [a penalty],” said the ex-Bournemouth boss. “I thought it looked like the goalkeeper almost took our centre forward’s head off. When I watch it back it looks the same - really surprised.

“I think it’s a foul. If you go for the ball and clatter into an attacking player that hard I think it has to be a foul. But I’m not overly surprised that we didn’t get it. As he [the referee] jogged over towards us I thought we might be getting it but it turns out he booked me and not Onana for smashing into our player."

Yet Ten Hag did not view the indecent in the same manner and said Onana ‘didn’t interfere’ with the Wolves attacker. “I don’t feel I need to react on this interpretation,” the Dutchman said in response to O’Neil’s post-match comments.

“The VAR looked and decided not to give it. We were pleased with that. It’s about the referee and the VAR and I think the two players from Wolves come together and Andre didn’t interfere with the actions from both of them. First was the touch on the ball from.”