'No doubt' - Ex-referee says Man Utd & Arsenal should expect FA investigation as star faces three-match ban

Former Premier League referee Keith Hackett believes that Manchester United and Arsenal should be the subject of an investigation by the Football Association after a melee between both sets of players on Sunday afternoon during the epic third-round FA Cup triumph.

Tempers flared midway through the second half when 10-man United conceded a penalty with the score at 1-1. Kai Havertz collided with Red Devils defender Harry Maguire with the visitors angered by the decision as they did not believe the contact was sufficient for a penalty. As the players clashed, United midfielder Manuel Ugarte appeared to push his head towards Havertz, who went down.

It was unclear if referee Andy Madley had seen the incident as he tried to bring calm to proceedings. Hackett believes there was “clear” use of the head from Ugarte which could result in a ban.

Ugarte at risk of ban

The United midfielder’s availability for the coming fixtures will hinge on whether the incident is included in the referees’ report. If the alleged headbutt was spotted by the officials and noted in the report, then FA action will not be taken. However, if the incident was missed, Ugarte is likely to be handed a three-game ban - according to Hackett.

In his Daily Telegraph column, Hackett said: "There is a lot going on when you have a mass confrontation in front of you. I was the guy in the middle when these two teams clashed at Old Trafford many years ago. The Football Association will no doubt investigate this by charging both teams for failing to control their players. I am convinced they will look closely at that illegal use of the head. In my opinion, there was a clear headbutt from Ugarte and this should have been seen and acted upon.

"I will be disappointed if the FA does not take action. The FA will contact the match officials knowing that they will have the referees’ report in front of them by 9am on Monday morning. The match officials will be asked what they saw in relation to a potential headbutt. If they say they have not then the FA will take that into account and there is a risk that the player will be charged retrospectively, along with both teams."

Dalot banned for Southampton

United defender Diogo Dalot will definitely be banned for Thursday’s visit of rock-bottom Southampton. He was sent off for a second bookable offence as he made a rash sliding challenge while already cautioned. The Saints are bottom of the table with just six points from 20 games. They have won just once in the Premier League this season, losing 16 times while drawing on three occasions.

Captain Bruno Fernandes said on Sunday: “I know we want to celebrate and everything, but our focus is now on Southampton [on Thursday] - that is when we have to back it up. The big games against Liverpool [and] Arsenal, everyone steps up because it is a big game. We suffered a lot but we sacrificed as a team, and at the end you get this. You want to be in these kinds of games, you want to be involved, you want to be the best but we have to do it in Old Trafford with these fans again. We have to give it back to the club. We need to do it every week, every game.”