{"id":33900,"date":"2026-05-18T20:24:24","date_gmt":"2026-05-18T20:24:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/2026\/05\/18\/referee-admits-manchester-uniteds-blunder-after-controversial-handball-goal\/"},"modified":"2026-05-18T20:24:24","modified_gmt":"2026-05-18T20:24:24","slug":"referee-admits-manchester-uniteds-blunder-after-controversial-handball-goal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/2026\/05\/18\/referee-admits-manchester-uniteds-blunder-after-controversial-handball-goal\/","title":{"rendered":"Referee admits Manchester United’s blunder after controversial handball goal"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Manchester United conceded Matheus Cunha’s controversial goal on Sunday despite a handball by Brian Mbeumo seconds earlier, but the PGMO told Nottingham Forest the goal should not have stood.<\/h2>\n
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May 18, 2026 16:50<\/span>Updated May 18, 2026 17:01<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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Brian Mbeumo’s handball was ruled by VAR, but the referee chose to override it.<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n
PGMO has been in contact with Nottingham Forest and says Manchester United’s second goal should not have been conceded in Sunday’s game.<\/p>\n
The Red Devils won 3\u20132 at Old Trafford, but the match was spoiled by a second-half goal from Marteus Cunha that gave the hosts a 2\u20131 lead.<\/p>\n
During the build-up, the ball clearly hit Brian Mbeumo’s arm, but play was allowed to continue before Cunha could score. Forest players appealed and VAR advised referee Michael Salisbury to look at the pitchside monitor, which often led to the original decision being overturned.<\/p>\n
However, Salisbury insisted the handball was an accident and chose to ignore VAR and stick to his own decision, which Forest was later told was the wrong call.<\/p>\n
After the match, Forest manager Vitor Pereira said on Today’s Game: “In my opinion, the only disappointing thing about the game was that the game was decided by a decision, and I don’t agree with that.”<\/p>\n
read more: Vitor Pereira calls for action after Manchester United handball controversy: ‘I don’t understand’<\/span><\/span>read more: Premier League: Gary Neville slams Man United’s VAR controversy as ‘absolute shocker’<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n
“I looked at the iPad and looked at the images and I was very calm, but in the end I think we need to have a meeting together to understand when it’s a handball, when it’s a block, when it’s a block in the box. At the moment we don’t know what is possible or impossible and in many cases we don’t understand the decisions. But I have to accept it.”<\/p>\n
Former United player Gary Neville provided commentary and claimed the decision was “absolutely shocking in every sense of the word”.<\/p>\n
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Referee Michael Salisbury stood by his original decision despite advice from VAR.<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
The pundit said: “Honestly, it’s ridiculous. VAR was clear. The player made a handball. He watched it for three minutes and the referee watched it for another minute. I can’t believe what I just saw.”<\/p>\n
Former Premier League referee Dermot Gallagher has admitted that referees made the wrong decision and had the wrong view of the law. “This is a handball,” he said. “I think Michael (Salisbury) was seduced by the instructions to keep playing, even if it went off his body and hit his arm, it was an accident.”<\/p>\n
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![\"Brian](\"https:\/\/i2-prod.mirror.co.uk\/article37168482.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s1200f\/0_HIhc_EYWcAA0rxXjpeg.jpg\")
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