Gary Neville was shocked by the “shocking” handball decision in Manchester United’s 3-2 win over Nottingham Forest, while Vitor Pereira called for a Premier League meeting to clarify the rules.
On Sunday at Old Trafford, Matheus Cunha scored the only goal in a 2-1 win against United just after Forest had equalized through Morato. This was because referee Michael Salisbury overruled the VAR sent to the field monitor.
VAR showed Brian Mbeumo had control of the ball between his arms and body before his shot was blocked and fell to Cunha, which was enough for the goal to be chalked away as a handball.
However, referee Salisbury deemed the handball an accident and made a decision contrary to the opinion of Stockley Park officials, leaving Pereira perplexed and Neville surprised.
Referee Michael Salisbury ignored VAR after being sent to monitor
“It’s shocking in every sense of the word,” Neville said in co-commentary. “Honestly, it’s ridiculous. The VAR result was clear. It was clear that the player had handballed. He looked at it for three minutes and the referee looked at it for another minute. I can’t believe what I just saw.”
“I don’t think anyone playing that game or watching football would think that goal should have been awarded. It’s clear they didn’t allow it. He (Mbeumo) almost pushed the ball into his armpit.”
Micah Richards agreed that the handball foul was “obvious”, while Roy Keane added: “We’re confused. It’s a handball and I don’t think anyone complained. We were all scratching our heads when the foul was given.”
“For me, it was a handball, very clear,” Pereira said in the post-match press conference. “It’s sad that we couldn’t cancel the goal. For me, this decision decided the game.”
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Explanation of the referee’s decision
In 2021, a change to the Handball Act states that accidental handballs that result in a goal for a teammate or a scoring opportunity will no longer be considered an infraction.
This explains Salisbury’s decision to ignore his colleagues’ opinions on VAR, but speaking to the referee did not change Pereira’s view on the issue.
Asked what the referee had told him, Pereira said: “I think he controlled it with his hands after touching his body.”
“You have to accept it, but that’s not my opinion. In my opinion, he controlled the ball with his hands and the goal came from that control. Otherwise they wouldn’t have had a chance to take the shot and score.”
Pereira’s frustration with Premier League referees is not limited to handball rules, as Pereira also wants more clarity on the rules regarding grappling inside the box.
This follows last weekend’s controversy over Arsenal’s 1-0 win over West Ham and the debate over whether Callum Wilson’s 96th-minute equalizer should have been ruled out.
Pereira added: “These are the questions we have in the Premier League at the moment regarding the decision to finish. As for handball, we don’t know when it will be handball.”
“A block in the box during a free-kick, you never know when it’s a foul or not. I think it’s important to have a meeting with everyone and try to understand the rules and decisions, because at the moment everyone, every manager, is questioning some decisions.”
