Interim Manchester United manager Darren Fletcher voiced his displeasure at the refereeing in his side’s FA Cup loss to Brighton.
The Scot branded teenage substitute Shea Lacey’s sending-off “ridiculous” and attacked “poor refereeing” at Old Trafford as his side were condemned to their earliest exit from both cup competitions since 1981-82.
United fell to a 2-1 defeat at the first hurdle, with a late consolation goal by Benjamin Sesko revitalising the crowd but not enough to force extra time after Brajan Gruda and former United player Danny Welbeck put the visitors in front.
Lacey, on as a second-half substitute, was a rare bright spark for United in attack on an otherwise disappointing evening.
But his Old Trafford debut ended in tears as he received two yellows from referee Simon Hooper in the space of three minutes, the first for a foul and the second for throwing the ball away in frustration.
Fletcher told TNT Sports afterwards: “Shea Lacey’s yellow card is ridiculous compared to the fouls that we had against us all game, which ultimately then the lad makes a mistake and is sent off. For me it is poor refereeing.
“He’s disappointed because he cares and he understands and he knows he will learn from it. There is no doubt about his talent. It was a steep learning curve today but we believe in Shea.
“He’s one of our most exciting young prospects and I’m sure at Old Trafford he will have a chance to make amends for that in the future.”
Boos greeted the half- and full-time whistle, with United’s latest cup exit condemning them to a 40-game season – their lowest total in 111 years.
With no European football either, the club can now only hope for a positive second half to their Premier League campaign, although they sit 17 points off leaders Arsenal in seventh place.
Fletcher continued: “I think you could see the players are fragile but they’ve got to respond. Confidence is one of the most powerful things in football so when you don’t have it, you have to dig deep and then the confidence comes back.
“It’s over to them, they need to make sure that they have got a lot to play for this season. This team is still good enough to achieve success this season but they have to dig deep.
“Out of cups, only Premier League games to play for, the fans weren’t happy at the end but they have got every right to air their grievances. It wasn’t toxic but they showed their disappointment.
“I’m sure if the players show the right reaction, the fans will get behind them like they always do, because there is still a lot to play for in the Premier League this season.”
