Manchester United coach, Louis Van Gaal, believes referee Mike Dean had a hand in the club’s 1-0 defeat to West Brom in the Barclays Premier League on Sunday.
Salomon Rondon scored in the 65th minute to end United’s four-match winning run at the Hawthorns.
It was West Brom’s first home league win against Manchester United for 32 years.
Dean sent off Spanish midfielder, Juan Mata, in the 27th-minute and Van Gaal thinks his dismissal was the turning point.
He described Mata’s 24th-minute booking for blocking a quickly taken West Bromwich Albion free kick as “stupid” and the 27-year-old should have been more careful in the immediate aftermath.
“It is very difficult to play against 11 players. That is the reason we lost this game because we didn’t give many chances away in the first half or in the second half,” said Van Gaal.
“The only chance more or less was the goal. What can I say? It is a great pity we had to play with 10 against 11 men.
“You can see it on the video the first yellow card was a stupid yellow card because you know in advance that you are going to get a yellow (for that offence).
“But then you know already you are on a yellow so you have to take it into account, it is difficult and you damage the benefit of your team.
“But I think the referee has to know the person who makes the tackle. Juan Mata never hurt an opponent. I asked him a rhetorical question how many red cards he already had in his career and he said “none.” I assumed that already.
“As a referee you know who is Juan Mata. But as a player you know already that when you have a yellow card you have to take care. You can always give a yellow card and then it is a red card.”
Asked if he thought referees should show discretion, he answered: “I think the referees are already doing that. Normally they do that.”
The Baggies climbed to 11th with 29 points while United dropped to 6th.
