Howard Webb has conceded that Manchester United were the victims of a significant officiating error during their 3-1 Premier League defeat at Brentford. The referees' chief informed the club that Nathan Collins should have been sent off for a foul on Bryan Mbeumo in the penalty area.
With United trailing 2-1, Mbeumo was pulled back by Collins as he prepared to shoot. Bruno Fernandes then saw his resulting penalty saved by Caoimhin Kelleher, while referee Craig Pawson opted to show Collins only a yellow card.
The Premier League Match Centre later issued a statement defending the decision, saying VAR had deemed Mbeumo was not in control of the ball. However, Manchester United contacted the Professional Game Match Officials for clarification, with chief executive Omar Berrada and technical director Jason Wilcox receiving a response from Webb admitting an error had been made.
Former Premier League referee Mark Halsey criticised the original explanation, stating that the law does not require a player to have the ball under control, only the likelihood of keeping control. He described the Match Centre statement as "absolute rubbish" and a "clear denial of a goalscoring opportunity."
Brentford went on to score a stoppage-time goal to secure a comfortable victory, heaping further pressure on United manager Ruben Amorim. The admission from Webb is the latest in a series of high-profile VAR controversies this season.
