Leaders of the Premier League have stated that errors made by the video assistant referee (VAR) have decreased compared to last year; however, they acknowledged that one of those errors occurred during Manchester United’s significant 2-1 loss to West Ham in October. This defeat marked the last game for Erik ten Hag at Old Trafford, resulting in his dismissal while the club was positioned 14th in the league. It has been confirmed that there have been 13 errors this term, a decrease from 20 at the corresponding point last season, which includes four wrong calls and nine missed chances in the first 23 matches. The contentious goal by the Hammers marked the breaking point for the Dutch manager after two and a half years in the northwest. West Ham was given the opportunity to secure a late victory through a penalty after Danny Ings was perceived to be fouled by Matthijs de Ligt. Although the game continued, VAR official Michael Oliver suggested to referee David Coote that he review the situation. Subsequently, referees chief Howard Webb acknowledged that it was an incorrect decision to penalize the defender from United. He mentioned, “I believed it was a misunderstanding by the VAR… A VAR that is usually quite skilled and dependable, but in this case, became overly fixated on De Ligt’s leg.” His leg extended toward Danny Ings without making contact with the ball. De Ligt has already missed the ball when he makes contact with Danny Ings, leading the VAR to determine it was a clear foul. “I believe he was overly concentrated on that part of the play.” I believe he shouldn’t have gotten involved. I believe in this case, we should uphold the referee’s decision made during the game, regardless of how it turns out.
