The PGMO admitted on Monday that Manchester United’s second goal in its 3-2 Premier League win over Nottingham Forest should not have stood, after the ball hit Bryan Mbeumo’s arm in the build-up to Matheus Cunha’s strike. Referee Michael Salisbury stuck with his on-field decision even after being sent to the pitch-side monitor by the VAR.
The acknowledgement came after a decision that left Forest furious and drew a sharp public response from Gary Neville, who said: “That is a shocker in every way.” He added: “Honestly, that is ridiculous.” Neville also said: “The VAR has been clear: the player has handballed it,” and: “I can't believe what I have just seen.”
PGMO chief refereeing officer Howard Webb spoke to both Forest and Manchester United on Monday to acknowledge the misjudgement. The VAR felt Mbeumo controlling the ball between his arm and his body was enough to see the goal chalked off for handball, while Salisbury judged the contact accidental and went against the opinion of the officials in Stockley Park. Neville said: “There will be nobody watching that game who plays football or who watches football who will think that goal should have been awarded.”
The law in question says a goal is disallowed if a player scores directly from the hand or arm, even if accidental, or if the ball touches the hand or arm immediately before the goal, even if accidental. But accidental handball that leads to a team-mate scoring or to a goal-scoring chance is no longer an offence, and English football has tended to apply a more lenient reading after feedback from clubs, players, managers and fans.
That is why the dispute has cut so deeply. The expected outcome, by the VAR’s reading, was to deem Mbeumo’s contact as handball; Dermot Gallagher said Mbeumo cushioned the ball with his arm and gained an advantage. Neville summed up the on-field reaction with another blunt verdict: “It feels obvious to disallow.” He also said of Mbeumo: “He almost wedged the ball under his arm.”
The scoreline will stand, but the judgment behind it will not. For Forest, the frustration is that the review process still ended with a goal they believe should have been ruled out; for Manchester United, the points remain, even if the explanation around them now carries an official apology.
