Referees body admits error in Manchester United victory over Nottingham Forest
Professional Game Match Officials acknowledge misjudgement by referee Michael Salisbury, who rejected VAR advice to overturn Bryan Mbeumo incident.
The Professional Game Match Officials (PGMO) has formally admitted that Manchester United’s second goal in their 3-2 Premier League victory over Nottingham Forest should have been disallowed for a handball offence. The referees’ body contacted Nottingham Forest on Monday to confirm the misjudgement, acknowledging that the decision to allow the goal was incorrect.
The incident occurred in the 55th minute when the ball struck the arm of Manchester United forward Bryan Mbeumo. Although Mbeumo was a Cameroon international at the time, the sequence saw a shot blocked by a defender before teammate Matheus Cunha capitalised on the loose ball to score past Forest goalkeeper Matz Sels.
Referee Michael Salisbury was sent to the pitchside monitor by Video Assistant Referee Matt Donohue to review the incident. Salisbury ultimately rejected the VAR’s advice to disallow the goal, ruling that the handball was accidental and sticking with his on-field decision. This marked only the 17th time in seven seasons, and the fourth instance this season, that a referee has rejected the advice of the VAR at the screen.
PGMO chief Howard Webb contacted Nottingham Forest to explain the error. Webb stated that while there could be justifiable reasons to judge the incident as non-handball given the league’s lenient approach to natural player movements, the expected decision was to disallow the goal. Webb’s view was supported by former Premier League assistant referee Darren Cann, who argued that Mbeumo controlled the ball with his hand, a factor that outweighs any possible deflection off the player’s hip.
Manchester United midfielder Morgan Gibbs-White, playing for Nottingham Forest in this context, expressed his belief that a handball had occurred regardless of the outcome. “From the angle I was standing at, it looked like he caught the ball,” Gibbs-White said after the match. “Whether he scores or not, for me it was still a handball.” The match concluded with a 3-2 win for Manchester United.
