The Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) has acknowledged that Manchester United’s second goal in Sunday’s 2-0 Premier League victory over Nottingham Forest at Old Trafford should have been ruled out for handball, in another bruising admission for English football’s officiating body.
The strike, which doubled United’s lead in the 58th minute and effectively settled the contest, came moments after the ball struck a United attacker’s arm in the build-up. Neither referee Jarred Gillett nor VAR official Michael Salisbury intervened, allowing the goal to stand. PGMOL contacted Forest on Monday morning to concede the error, a routine that has become uncomfortably familiar for clubs left on the wrong side of marginal calls this season.
How the incident unfolded
The decisive moment arrived as United broke from a Forest corner. Replays showed the ball deflecting off a raised arm inside the attacking phase before the finish was applied, a clear breach of Law 12, which states that a goal scored immediately after an accidental handball must be disallowed regardless of intent. VAR is mandated to recommend an on-field review in such cases.
Salisbury, working his fourth Premier League match in a fortnight, did not advise Gillett to consult the pitchside monitor. The goal was awarded, and Forest manager Nuno Espirito Santo was visibly incensed on the touchline, gesturing repeatedly at the fourth official. Speaking after the final whistle, Nuno declined to discuss the incident in detail, saying only that he had “asked the questions” and would await a response from PGMOL.
That response arrived within 18 hours. In a private communication confirmed to Sky Sports and the BBC, PGMOL chief Howard Webb accepted that the goal should have been chalked off and that the VAR protocol had not been correctly applied. Forest, who slipped to ninth in the table following the defeat, are understood to be considering whether to escalate the matter formally.
Mounting pressure on Howard Webb
The admission lands at a delicate moment for Webb, who took charge of PGMOL in late 2022 with a mandate to restore credibility to refereeing standards. It is the seventh significant VAR error publicly acknowledged this Premier League season, a tally that has fuelled criticism from managers across the division.
The episode carries unwelcome echoes of the Luis Diaz offside debacle at Tottenham in September 2023, when a legitimate Liverpool goal was wrongly ruled out due to a communication breakdown between the VAR booth and the on-field officials. Webb subsequently introduced reforms, including the public release of VAR audio for contentious decisions, but the structural complaint from clubs has remained consistent: the threshold for intervention is applied inconsistently from week to week.
Forest in particular have history here. The club issued an extraordinary social media statement last season accusing PGMOL of bias following three penalty appeals turned down in a single match against Everton, a post that drew an FA charge. Sunday’s incident will harden the belief inside the City Ground that the club is repeatedly disadvantaged by VAR.
What it means for the title and relegation races
The sporting consequences are not trivial. United’s victory pulled them back to within four points of fourth-placed Aston Villa with five matches remaining, keeping Ruben Amorim’s Champions League qualification hopes alive. A 1-0 scoreline at the time of the disallowed strike would have left Forest with 20 minutes to chase an equaliser against a United side that has wobbled when leads have been threatened this season.
For Forest, the points would have been transformative. Nuno’s team sit just six points clear of the relegation zone, and a draw at Old Trafford would have represented a significant cushion heading into a run-in that includes fixtures against Chelsea and Brighton.
The wider implications are familiar:
- Webb is expected to face renewed questions at the next Premier League shareholders’ meeting in June, where club executives will review officiating performance
- PGMOL is reportedly considering whether Salisbury, who has been involved in two prior acknowledged errors this season, should be stood down from VAR duties for the remainder of the campaign
- The Premier League’s planned trial of semi-automated offside technology next season will not address handball judgments, leaving the same subjective interpretation in place
An apology, however prompt, does not change the scoreline. Forest will leave Manchester with nothing, United with three points that may yet prove decisive in the European places, and PGMOL with another entry on a lengthening list of mistakes that its reforms were supposed to consign to the past.
Sports journalist and editor at SportsPortal.net. Covers cricket, football, Formula 1, tennis, and basketball with a focus on how global sports connect with Pakistani audiences. Follows the PSL, Pakistan national cricket team, Premier League, and major international tournaments. Has reported on sports for digital audiences since 2021.
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