A major refereeing controversy overshadowed Manchester United’s 5-1 victory over Ipswich Town in the Premier League on Sunday, with the decision to allow a goal involving Harry Maguire prompting widespread criticism of VAR.
Manchester United recovered in emphatic fashion after falling behind, scoring five times against their visitors in the second round of the Premier League season. The result gave Michael Carrick his first win of the campaign as the club’s manager.
The key dispute centred on the handball rules and the role played by Maguire in United’s second goal.
The centre-back moved forward after winning possession before sending a cross into the Ipswich Town penalty area. The ball was deflected into the net by Jacob Greaves, who was credited with an own goal to put Manchester United 2-1 ahead.
According to The Sun, a review of the incident appeared to show Maguire controlling or regaining possession with his hands. However, because he was not the player who directly scored, the goal was allowed to stand.
The newspaper explained: “If Maguire had benefited directly from the handball and scored himself, the free-kick would have been awarded and the goal disallowed.”
It added: “Many people will argue, quite rightly, that Maguire definitely benefited from the handball.”
The Premier League Match Centre confirmed that the referee’s decision had been reviewed and upheld by VAR. Its explanation was: “The referee’s call of goal for Manchester United was checked and confirmed by VAR – with it deemed that Maguire was not the immediate goalscorer after an accidental handball.”
The VAR review itself stated: “It’s an own goal and the accidental handball is not punishable, so we recommend you award the goal.”
The ruling left supporters confused and provoked a wave of criticism on social media, with many questioning the distinction between a player scoring directly and an opponent turning the ball into their own net.
One user wrote: “There is no way Maguire’s goal can be considered an accidental handball when his hands helped him control the ball.”
Another posted: “This is madness. If Maguire scores directly, it is handball, but because it is an own goal, it is not considered handball. Who makes these rules? Isn’t handball handball?”
A third supporter said: “We lost football when we lost common sense. I don’t care if the ball was deflected, that is handball by Maguire.”
The refereeing-focused X account Archivo VAR was also strongly critical of the decision, describing it as a “staggering VAR blunder” in the Manchester United and Ipswich Town match.
It said: “Maguire regains the ball using both arms moments before the move ends in a goal.”
The account added: “It is a very clear handball. We are looking at the perfect example of what is known as deliberate handball.”
The incident became the main talking point from a match in which Manchester United otherwise produced an impressive response to going behind. Their five-goal victory represented a decisive recovery and secured their first league win of the season under Carrick, but the decision to award the second goal ensured the performance was accompanied by a fresh debate over the interpretation of handball and the limits of VAR intervention.
