The Professional Football Referees' Association in England announced that the second goal scored by Manchester United in their 3-2 victory against Nottingham Forest should have been disallowed due to handball. The referees' body contacted Nottingham Forest to confirm that referee Michael Oliver misjudged the situation by refusing a VAR review that could have led to the goal being disallowed.

The ball hit the hand of Manchester United attacker Brian Mbeumo, his shot was blocked, but the ball came to his teammate Mateus Kune, who scored the goal in the 55th minute, giving United a 2-1 lead.

VAR referee Matt Donohue called on Oliver to review the situation on the monitor beside the field and disallow the goal. However, the main referee decided after reviewing the footage that the handball was unintentional and maintained his decision to allow the goal.

Chief referee Howard Webb spoke with Nottingham Forest representatives to explain that while there were valid reasons to assess it as not being a handball, the better decision and the one expected was to disallow the goal. The Premier League has a lenient approach to handball, understanding natural player movements, but the VAR review should have been accepted.

This was the 17th time in seven seasons and the fourth time this season that a referee has ignored the VAR screen advice. Following the latest round of the Premier League, Manchester United is third on the table with 68 points, while Nottingham Forest is 16th with 43 points.