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Referee Michael Salisbury's explanation was completely overwhelmed by the roaring Old Trafford crowd.
After the official confirmed that Matheus Cunha's winning goal for Manchester United against Nottingham Forest would stand despite questionable ball-handling from Bryan Mbeumo, the 70,000 fans present on Sunday had little interest in hearing the reasoning behind the call.
Manchester United's iconic former player and lifelong supporter Gary Neville, however, was so furious over a decision he labeled an "absolute shocker" that he would have been very eager to understand why it was considered correct.
Diogo Dalot's cross 10 minutes into the second half of United's Premier League encounter with Forest caught everyone off guard—including Mbeumo, who hadn't anticipated the visiting defenders all missing their clearances. In an effort to bring the ball under control, United's forward lifted his knee, though this only sent the ball upward, where it became wedged between his hip and right arm.
Mbeumo's resulting shot was saved and Cunha converted the rebound.
VAR Matthew Donohue spent nearly two minutes examining every available angle of the incident while United's players held off on celebrating before directing Salisbury to the pitchside monitor. The referee required an additional 90 seconds to reach his conclusion before upholding the original goal decision.
Timeline of VAR Drama
As the on-field official attempted to explain to the Old Trafford crowd, Mbeumo's "handball offense is accidental, therefore the final decision is goal."
Law 12 in the FA Handbook emphasizes that "not every touch of a player's hand/arm with the ball is an offense." In 2021, it was ruled that players would no longer face penalties for an accidental handball that leads to a teammate scoring or creating a goalscoring opportunity.
Had Mbeumo scored directly, the goal would have been ruled out, but since Cunha pounced on the chance, United were permitted to take a 2–1 lead.
'An Absolute Shocker'—Gary Neville Goes on the Attack
Neville was so certain that Salisbury would disallow Cunha's goal that he urged the official to hurry up while watching him deliver his announcement as part of the UK broadcast on Sky Sports. Once it became clear the goal would stand, Neville erupted. "That's an absolute shocker in every single way," he exclaimed.
"Manchester United are celebrating, Cunha's doing a samba in front of the Stretford End, but honestly, that is ridiculous.
"The amount of time that's taken. The VAR have been quite clear to the referee. They've said, 'This should be disallowed. He's handballed it, he's controlled it with his arm and he's brought it into play.' The referee has gone over to that screen and overruled VAR.
"I can't believe what I've just seen, I'll be really honest with you. For me, that is a handball."