Manchester United’s second goal in Sunday’s Premier League win over Nottingham Forest should have been disallowed for handball, Professional Game Match Officials (PGMO) has admitted.
The revelation has intensified debate around VAR consistency and refereeing standards in crucial moments.
The referees’ body contacted Forest on Monday to confirm there had been a misjudgement by referee Michael Salisbury.
He had rejected a video assistant referee (VAR) review that recommended overturning the goal.
The ball came off the arm of United forward Bryan Mbeumo before the Cameroon international saw a shot blocked.
Moments later, the attack continued, catching Forest’s defence scrambling to recover shape. Matheus Cunha moved on to the loose ball and fired a shot past Forest keeper Matz Sels. The goal stood, despite immediate protests from Forest players and supporters inside the stadium.
Salisbury was sent to the pitchside monitor by the VAR, Matt Donohue, to disallow the goal. But Salisbury decided the handball was accidental and stuck by his on-field decision of goal.It put United 2-1 up in a game they went on to win 3-2.
Consequently, the decision had a direct impact on the final outcome of the match.
“From the angle I was standing at, it looked like he caught the ball,” Forest midfielder Morgan Gibbs-White said after the game.
“Whether he scores or not, for me it was still a handball,” MGW stated.
VAR controversy deepens as referees admit wrong call in Manchester United win over Nottingham Forest
Referees’ boss Howard Webb spoke to Forest to explain the reasoning behind the controversial call. However, he acknowledged that a better and expected decision would have been to disallow the goal.
The Premier League has a more lenient approach to handball, focusing on natural body movement. Still, the VAR intervention should have carried more weight in this situation.
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Webb’s view was shared by former Premier League assistant referee Darren Cann. His analysis reinforced the growing consensus around the error.
“While I think that it is commendable to see a referee stick with his original decision, I believe that football’s expectation is Mbeumo controlling the ball outweighs the deflection,” Cann said.
“Mbeumo does control the ball and while he’s not the scorer himself, football’s expectation is for that to be disallowed,” he added.
It was only the 17th time in seven seasons that a referee has rejected VAR advice at the screen. Notably, it was also just the fourth occurrence during the current campaign.
