Former referee turned football pundit Howard Webb has slamed Marcos Rojo for his sadistic lunge on Wilfried Zaha during Manchester United’s 2-1 win over Crystal Palace.

The Red Devils managed to win two games on the trot for the first time since August, as they registered a 2-1 victory against Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park on Wednesday. They controlled the game from start to end and were deserved winners come the full time whistle.

New signing Paul Pogba continued to show signs of improvement since his £89 million move from Juventus in the summer, as he opened the scoring for Manchester United.

Much as they have been criticised for doing all season, United failed to add to their advantage, and were pegged back when James McArthur capped off an intricate build-up to bring Palace back on level terms in the game. With very few chances prior to the goal, the hosts could consider themselves fortunate scoring against the run of play.

But, it was Zlatan Ibrahimovic who had the last laugh as he found the back of the net in the dying stages of the game to secure all three points for his side. He looked off the pace for most part of the ninety, but rose to the occasion when it mattered the most.

The game was marred by controversy though, as there was a bit of handling of the ball during United’s first goal. Then, a Palace defender was also guilty of using his hand in the box, but a penalty was not given. Juan Mata also had a goal disallowed for offside, while replays showed that the strike should have stood.

LONDON, ENGLAND - DECEMBER 14: Phil Jones of Manchester United (L) and Marcos Rojo of Manchester United (R) argue with the referee after there was no penalty given during the Premier League match between Crystal Palace and Manchester United at Selhurst Park on December 14, 2016 in London, England. (Photo by Christopher Lee/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND – DECEMBER 14: Phil Jones of Manchester United (L) and Marcos Rojo of Manchester United (R) argue with the referee after there was no penalty given during the Premier League match between Crystal Palace and Manchester United at Selhurst Park on December 14, 2016 in London, England. (Photo Courtesy: Christopher Lee/Getty Images)

However, what eclipsed the controversial decisions was Marcus Rojo’s reckless lunge on Wilfried Zaha. The United defender jumped into a tackle with both feet on the floor, and should easily have been sent off. His exploits saw him receive a bit of slack from Howard Webb.

In the post-match analysis show on BT Sport, Webb was called in to review the incident of Rojo’s challenge. “What type of a tackle is that?! That’s not a tackle for the ball. It’s not a fair way to win the ball. It’s just lunging at an opponent not with the force required for that tackle. There’s no place for tackles like that in the modern game. It should be a red,” he said, according to Goal.

This is not the first time that Rojo has committed such an act of sin, as he made a similar challenge a couple of weeks ago on Everton’s Idrissa Gueye. To everyone’s amusement, the Argentine wasn’t given his marching orders that day as well.

That being said, Rojo’s performances are now likely to be under the microscope and referees may not decide to take a benign view should such an incident occur in the future.

Also Read: Five talking points from Manchester United’s stunning 2-1 win over Crystal Palace

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