Leicester City manager Steve Cooper has lambasted the linesman’s decision to award Manchester United’s contentious second goal in their 5-2 Carabao Cup defeat at Old Trafford.
Cooper’s Foxes were left reeling after Diogo Dalot’s offside infringement went unnoticed, allowing Alejandro Garnacho to double United’s lead. The absence of VAR in the competition left Cooper frustrated.
“The circumstance around each goal was crucial,” Cooper said post-match. “A brilliant strike from Casemiro, a really poor linesman decision for the second goal… Big moment in the game. We scored soon after, it should have been 1-1, instead it’s 2-1.”
Cooper questioned the linesman’s judgment, considering his experience at Premier League level.
“He can’t make a mistake like that,” Cooper emphasized. “Maybe there’s sympathy for the linesman, given the protection of VAR usually. But tonight, he didn’t have that safety net.”
The Leicester boss also expressed disappointment at being booked for protesting the decision.
“The referee seemed to enjoy giving me a yellow card,” Cooper added. “I want to stand up for my team. You can’t just accept it when an image on the bench shows a clear error.”
The defeat leaves Leicester City reeling, but Cooper remains proud of his team’s performance.
“Anyone who wasn’t here tonight might think it was a dominant, comfortable result for United,” Cooper said. “But it was anything but that. We created chances, and our spirit was good. We just didn’t get the breaks.”
Cooper acknowledged that his team must learn from their mistakes and move forward.
“We can’t dwell on this result,” he noted. “We have to focus on our next game and improve our defensive solidity. We’ve shown we can compete against top teams, but we need to be more consistent.”
Leicester City’s Carabao Cup exit will now shift their focus to the Premier League, where they aim to bounce back from this setback.
“We’ll regroup and prepare for our next challenge,” Cooper vowed. “We’ll work hard to get back to winning ways and make our fans proud.”