Manchester United beat Nottingham Forest 4-2 in a Premier League match that turned on a controversial VAR call, with Luke Shaw opening the scoring after six minutes and the visitors later pushed to the limit by a late comeback.
Shaw’s early goal gave United control, but Forest levelled at 1-1 before the game exploded again when Bryan Mbeumo controlled the ball and it clearly touched his arm before Matheus Cunha scored. VAR sent the referee to the screen, and the goal stood after review, with the referee explaining: “The goal counts because the handsball was accidental.”
That decision drew an immediate blast from the commentary booth. Alan Shearer called it “a disgrace” and added: “Shocking, shocking, shocking. That is a clear handball.” Gary Neville was equally blunt, saying: “This is weird in every possible way.” He added, “It is ridiculous,” and later, “I cannot believe what I just saw.” He also said the VAR had spent three minutes looking at the incident and then the referee another minute, before concluding: “They are overthinking it and have worked themselves into a mess.”
United then kept moving. Bruno Fernandes delivered the assist for their third goal and reached 20 Premier League assists for the season, matching the league record held by Kevin De Bruyne and Thierry Henry. Forest were never finished, though, and the match stayed alive after the break when Morato scored past Senne Lammens, who was beaten again later in the night. With 15 minutes left, Morgan Gibbs-White struck to make it tense, but Manchester United held on through a late Nottingham Forest push.
The game was also shaped by the matchup between Belgian goalkeepers Matz Sels and Senne Lammens, and by the fact that Cunha’s goal was allowed to stand only after the VAR judged Mbeumo’s arm contact to be accidental. That ruling will hang over the result long after the final whistle, because United did not just beat Forest; they did it in a match where the biggest moment was not a finish but a decision.
