Former referee Dermot Gallagher asked if Man Utd were denied penalty vs Man City, ‘killed it’ point sums up his verdict

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Ex-Premier League referee Dermot Gallagher didn’t think twice about his verdict on a penalty shout in Manchester United’s Premier League clash against Manchester City.

Manchester United hosted Manchester City at Old Trafford and the Red Devils walked away with a point from their Premier League encounter on Sunday.

Ruben Amorim’s men fell short of capitalising on their chances against Pep Guardiola’s side in the final Manchester derby of the 2024-25 campaign.

The Premier League clash at Old Trafford was lacklustre for a majority of the playing time and neither United nor City could break the deadlock in the 0-0 draw.

United are in 13th place in the Premier League table and are one point above Tottenham, while fifth-place City are a point behind fourth-place Chelsea.

The Red Devils have only picked up 10 victories in 31 matches and Ruben Amorim’s side are on course for their worst Premier League finish since the league’s formation.

United also face a massive task in trying to finish in a European qualification spot in the league table with only seven Premier League matches remaining.

READ MORE: Mason Mount sends seven-word Man Utd message after Man City draw as Alejandro Garnacho and Joshua Zirkzee both react

Dermot Gallagher’s reaction to Man Utd’s penalty appeal vs Manchester City in the Premier League clash at Old Trafford

Manchester United star Alejandro Garnacho was brought down inside the first minute at Old Trafford after a challenge from Manchester City defender Ruben Dias.

Referee John Brooks booked Ruben Dias for the tackle, but he did not point to the spot and instead awarded United a free-kick on the edge of the box.

VAR did not intervene and John Brooks’ decision stood, despite United believing that they had a strong claim for a penalty against City in the Manchester derby.

Speaking on Sky Sports’ Ref Watch, ex-referee Dermot Gallagher praised Premier League official Brooks for what he did to ‘kill’ the penalty appeal from United.

“He’s in a great position and also he’s focused […] because I’ve said many, many times to referees, you start at kick-off,” he said.

“You don’t start two minutes into the game. You don’t allow it two minutes to see how it pans out and then decide, but because he’s focused, he’s aware of it.

“The great thing about it is he sold it brilliantly because he went straight to the spot.

“If you look, he goes straight to the spot and points down – that’s where it was. He just killed it. He killed all the argument.”

READ MORE: Man Utd fans have lot to say about Mason Mount after performance vs Man City, ‘system’ claim perfectly sums him up

What Ruben Amorim noticed from Man Utd’s performance against Manchester City in the 0-0 Manchester derby result

Speaking after the 0-0 scoreline at Old Trafford, United manager Ruben Amorim insisted that he could take away positives from the Red Devils’ performance.

“Look at the positive things,” he said, as per Manchester United’s official website.

“We had some games and I was here and trying to remember one opportunity; it wasn’t there.

“Now, in the last games, we have the opportunities. Now we have to improve the last chance and the last shot.”

United will face Lyon at the Parc Olympique Lyonnais on Thursday evening in their first-leg Europa League quarter-final match, with kick-off slated for 8pm UK time.