Premier League referee Michael Oliver, who suggested David Coote reassess his initial decision not to award West Ham a last-minute penalty against Manchester United, has been assigned a match for the upcoming weekend.
The call, which resulted in Jarod Bowen’s 96th-minute penalty securing victory, proved to be the final straw for Erik ten Hag, who was dismissed by United less than 24 hours later. This came as the culmination of a series of eight matches that included just one win.
Reflecting on the incident, Ten Hag criticised the implementation of VAR at the London Stadium, saying: “Clear and obvious wasn’t how the VAR worked their process.”
He elaborated on his dissatisfaction with the system: “Before the season they explained the process of the VAR and said they’d only act if it was clear and obvious. So it should have interfered for Bruno’s red card at Tottenham – that was a wrong decision and this was a wrong decision.”
Ten Hag continued, highlighting the significant impact of these decisions: “Both have a big impact on the games. I’m not criticising any person, I’m criticising the process. Of course, there are people running the process and it had a big impact on the score.”
Despite the controversy, United had ample opportunity to secure the game in the first half, missing numerous chances to establish a lead over Julen Lopetegui’s team. Missed opportunities by players such as Diogo Dalot and Rasmus Hojlund were equally responsible for the disappointing outcome as the decisions made by Oliver and Coote.
Yet, after Casemiro had dragged the match back to level terms, scoring against the Hammers following Crysencio Summervilles initial goal for them, Matthijs de Ligt‘s infringement on Danny Ings was belatedly acknowledged. Matchday official Coote initially signalled to continue play until VAR overseer Oliver suggested a review of the incident at the pitchside screen was warranted.
Following an extensive examination, Coote made the contentious decision to award a penalty. Oliver has faced substantial flak for his involvement in the matter.
Former top-flight whistle-blower Dermot Gallagher, while reviewing the incident on Sky Sports’ Ref Watch, expressed disbelief, saying: “I didn’t think it was a penalty. I didn’t think it was a penalty. Look at it, it’s a coming together.
“De Ligt does little wrong, Ings goes into him. The referee plays on and I think the referee makes the right decision. He’s sent to the monitor and I was even confident that at the monitor he would stand his ground. When he didn’t, that was the biggest surprise to me.”
Despite this apparent blunder, Oliver remains slated to manage Manchester City‘s away clash with Bournemouth, set to commence at 3pm during matchday 10. Supporting him are Graham Scott and Sian Massey-Ellis handling the VAR responsibilities at Stockley Park.
Coote, in contrast, is relegated to solely VAR duties this round, where hell contribute remotely to assist Craig Pawson during Tottenhams home fixture against Aston Villa at 2 pm on Sunday, partnered with Richard West.
United are set to face Chelsea at Old Trafford, with Rob Jones selected as the referee. Jones recently sent off Arsenal‘s William Saliba at Bournemouth just over a week ago, overturning an initial yellow card decision with assistance from VAR Jarred Gillett.
Michael Salisbury and Nick Hopton will be present for Sunday’s high-profile encounter.
Salisbury was part of the VAR team during Arsenal‘s 2-2 draw with Liverpool on Sunday, where they decided not to recommend a review of Ibrahima Konate’s tackle on Gabriel Martinelli in the first half.