Paul Pogba has said that Harry Maguire’s first-half header in Manchester United’s 1-0 victory over Burnley should have stood.
The opening period of the game was dominated by VAR controversy as the home side’s Robbie Brady escaped a red card for a last-man challenge while Maguire saw his angled header disallowed because of a push that was not immediately evident.
It was considered by the officials, however, that contact had taken place, although for the World Cup winner it was a poor call.
“It was a goal for sure. He headed it, it was a beautiful goal,” Pogba told Sky Sports. “It was a strange decision, but we got the result we wanted.”
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Asked about how he and his team-mates coped with the constant stoppages, he stressed the importance of simply staying focused.
“It’s hard, but you have to be professional,” he said. “The decision of the referee, I didn’t agree with it, but I’m not on the pitch, he’s the boss. We stayed calm and we stayed focused. We scored the goal and won the game.”
Overall, the match was a tight one, with Pogba getting the winner midway through the second half with a sweet volley that was marginally deflected en route to the net.
United have gone to the top of the standings as a consequence, and Pogba was delighted to get the win.
“The game today was very hard,” he said. “It’s not easy to play here. We got the three points and we’re happy for that. We have to focus again. There’s still a long way to go.”
Manchester United play Liverpool on Sunday in a first-versus-second encounter that will be arguably the biggest game of the Premier League to date this season.
Paul Pogba 
Bruno Fernandes 
Marcus Rashford 
Mason Greenwood 
Man Utd 
Liverpool 
Burnley 
