Referee Stuart Attwell told Manchester United captain Harry Maguire that he couldn't award a penalty to the Red Devils because it would cause too much controversy, defender and teammate Luke Shaw claimed after Sunday's goalless draw against Chelsea.
The incident occurred midway through the first half when the ball appeared to glance off of Chelsea winger Callum Hudson-Odoi's right hand. Attwell halted play while United were in possession to review the incident on the pitchside monitor, but he ultimately decided not to call a penalty.
Attwell shared a few words with Maguire immediately after the review.
"The referee even said to H (Harry), 'If I say it's a pen, then it's going to cause a lot of talk about it after,'" Shaw told Sky Sports following the match. "I don't know what happened there. H said they got told it was a pen."
United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, who confirmed Shaw's testimony, took it one step further, claiming a "cheeky" article on Chelsea's website influenced the referee. Though Solskjaer refused to identify the article in question, he was apparently referring to a pre-match preview that called into question Maguire's "actions" in the penalty area.
"In recent Chelsea meetings, the Red Devils' centre-back has survived VAR reviews of a potential penalty foul on Cesar Azpilicueta and (a) violent challenge on Michy Batshuayi that may well have affected the outcome (of those games)," the article read under the subheading, "Solskjaer's Strivers."
Solskjaer said it was Chelsea's attempt to put pressure on the referee. He also called out recently sacked manager Frank Lampard for casting aspersions over United's penalty record earlier in the season.
"There's loads of talk about us getting penalties and there is no doubt whatsoever," the Norwegian added. "And today we should've had the penalty."
United have received eight penalties in the Premier League this season - as many as Chelsea.
