VAR Penalty
The decision to award West Ham United a stoppage-time penalty against Manchester United sparked reactions after the match held at the London Stadium on Sunday. West Ham emerged victorious with a 2-1 win. Despite Manchester United’s dominant first-half performance and creating several clear opportunities, Crysencio Summerville put West Ham ahead. Manchester United equalized through Casemiro, but West Ham was given a chance to retake the lead when a penalty was awarded following a pitch-side monitor review. Matthijs de Ligt’s collision with Danny Ings led to the penalty decision, which Jarrod Bowen converted, securing the win for West Ham.
Jamie O’Hara, frustrated with the decision, said, “The ball bounces up and it’s a 50/50. Both have gone in for it, both have been a bit tentative but Ings is already on his way down. He is looking for the penalty and De Ligt doesn’t really catch him. I think it’s really harsh. The referee hasn’t given that on the field and VAR has sent him over to the monitor. He has looked at that for a couple of minutes and thought: ‘Am I really giving a penalty for that?’ I’m not having it, it’s re-reffing the game, the referee has seen it but he hasn’t given it. It’s not clear and obvious and it’s not a massive error.”
Erik ten Hag expressed his reservations about the decision, noting, “Before the season there was the instruction about VAR only interfering in clear and obvious mistakes. That is definitely not a clear and obvious mistake from the on-field referee.”
