Howard Webb Admits Referee Error in Man Utd vs. Nottingham Forest Match

Howard Webb, the Professional Game Match Officials (PGMO) chief refereeing officer, has admitted to Nottingham Forest that Michael Salisbury was wrong not to disallow Matheus Cunha’s goal owing to Bryan Mbuemo’s handball in Manchester United’s 3-2 win on Sunday at Old Trafford.

Salisbury’s decision was judged by Webb as being too lenient with regard to the Premier League’s approach to the handball laws. The competition does allow leeway in terms of players’ natural movements. But in Mbeumo’s case Webb felt Salisbury misjudged the incident as an unintentional handball so when Matt Donohue, the video assistant referee, asked Salisbury to review the 55th-minute incident on the pitchside monitor the decision should have been overturned.

Donohue’s view was that although the ball first hit the forward’s right thigh and inadvertently moved to his right arm, it was then cradled, allowing him to shoot. Although the effort was blocked, the ball went to Cunha, who scored. Webb spoke to Forest to inform the club that the referee should have followed the VAR’s lead.

On Sky Sports News the former referee Dermot Gallagher said Mbeumo cushioned the ball with his arm and gained an advantage. “It should be disallowed,” he said. “It’s handball. Michael gets seduced by this directive that if it comes off your body and strikes your arm, it’s accidental – play on. But if you watch this, it’s totally different, and I think the VAR has tried to guide him on this. He’s done as much as he can.

“Mbeumo’s arms are out when it finishes, but then his arm comes in. I think he traps the ball between his arm and his thigh. At that point, you know, if you listen to the VAR, he’s very, very clear he says: ‘I think there’s a handball offence.’ He’s controlled it with his hand, he sends him to the screen, he does everything he can possibly do, and then it’s Michael’s choice.

“This comes down to: do you think this is accidental? Is there enough evidence to say that the player gained a massive advantage by what he did? I actually think his arm comes in, and that’s what cushions the ball. I think it gets trapped. If you look, there’s a period where the ball is stationary in his body.”