Referee Michael Oliver initially missed Matthijs de Ligt’s handball, but after a VAR review, the infraction was penalized, allowing Mohamed Salah to put Liverpool in the lead. ..Continue Reading
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The official Premier League Match Centre social media account said: “VAR recommended an on-field review for a possible handball by de Ligt, deeming that his arm was raised in an unnatural position. Upon review, the referee overturned his original call of no penalty.”
When the controversial decision was made, the match was balanced. Lisandro Martinez had given United an early advantage, which Cody Gakpo quickly neutralized. Amad’s goal shortly after Salah’s penalty almost settled the game.
Gary Neville, former Manchester United captain, commented during Sky Sports’ broadcast, “I don’t know why his hand is there,” adding, “He is not going to get away with it.”
Echoing this sentiment on BBC Radio 5 Live, former Chelsea player Pat Nevin remarked, “I would give that as a penalty every day of the week,” noting, “Matthijs de Ligt’s hand was so high, right above his head.”
De Ligt has found himself in the spotlight again due to a controversial penalty decision, a scenario he’s faced before this season.
Previously, the Dutch defender was penalized for a challenge on West Ham’s Danny Ings back in October at the London Stadium, a match that ended in a 2-1 defeat and marked the final game for then-United manager Erik ten Hag.
Earlier in the day, three penalties were awarded as Fulham drew 2-2 at home against Ipswich.
The referee initially missed the penalty call, but VAR later identified the foul. Fulham’s Harry Wilson was brought down by Sam Morsy, resulting in Jimenez successfully converting the penalty.
The Premier League Match Centre account clarified the situation with a statement: “VAR recommended an on-field review for the challenge by Morsy on Wilson, deeming that contact was sufficient for a penalty and occurred inside the area,” and added, “Upon review, the referee overturned his original call of no penalty.”
