Former Premier League referee Dermot Gallagher has insisted that Matheus Cunha's goal for Manchester United against Nottingham Forest should have been disallowed for handball. Gallagher believes that Bryan Mbeumo used his hand to control the ball in the build-up, and that referee Michael Salisbury was wrong to allow the goal to stand.
Forest lost 3-2 at Old Trafford after twice coming from behind, and the defeat was made more painful by the controversy surrounding United's second goal. VAR official Matt Donohue advised Salisbury to review the incident, but the referee decided that Mbeumo's handball was accidental and allowed the goal to stand.
Gallagher said on Ref Watch: 'I think it should be disallowed. It should be handball. I think Michael gets seduced by this directive that if it comes off your body and strikes your arm, it's accidental, carry on. I think if your arm is out there... He almost cushions the ball. It creates that opportunity.'
The former official added that Salisbury should have heeded the VAR's advice: 'VAR Matt Donohue has done everything to say, "look here's your opportunity to have a look" but he had a look and said no.'
Former Manchester United defender Gary Neville, commentating on the match, called the decision 'a shocker in every way'. He said: 'There will be nobody watching that game who plays football or who watches football who will think that goal should have been awarded.'
