Maguire handball decision leaves VAR facing fresh criticism in Manchester United win

A controversial VAR decision involving Harry Maguire overshadowed Manchester United’s emphatic 5-1 victory over Ipswich Town in the Premier League on Sunday.

Manchester United recovered from falling behind to claim their first win of the season, scoring five times against their visitors in the second round of the competition under manager Michael Carrick.

The main talking point came in the 56th minute, when Maguire appeared to use his hands while regaining possession before the ball ended up in the Ipswich net.

The centre-back moved forward after Manchester United won the ball and sent a cross into the penalty area. The delivery took a deflection off Jacob Greaves and went into the goal, with the Ipswich defender credited with an own goal.

The Sun reported that a review of the incident appeared to show Maguire controlling or recovering the ball with his hands. However, because he was not the player who directly scored, the goal was allowed to stand.

“If Maguire had benefited directly from the handball and scored himself, a free-kick would have been awarded and the goal disallowed,” the newspaper said.

“Many people will argue, quite rightly, that Maguire definitely benefited from the handball,” it added.

The Premier League match centre confirmed that the referee’s decision had been checked and upheld by the video assistant referee.

“The referee’s call of goal for Manchester United was checked and confirmed by VAR – with it deemed that Maguire was not the immediate goalscorer after an accidental handball,” it said.

The VAR explanation was: “It’s an own goal and the accidental handball is not punishable, so we recommend you award the goal.”

The ruling left supporters puzzled and prompted strong criticism of the officials across social media.

One user wrote: “There is no way Maguire’s goal can be considered an accidental handball when his hands helped him control the ball.”

Another said: “This is madness. If Maguire scores directly, it is handball, but because it is an own goal, it is not considered handball. Who makes these rules? Isn’t handball handball?”

A third post said: “We lost football when we lost common sense. I don’t care if the ball was deflected, that is handball by Maguire.”

The VAR Archive account on X, which focuses on refereeing decisions, described the incident as a major error.

“An outrageous VAR farce in Manchester United v Ipswich,” it posted. “Maguire regains the ball using both arms moments before the action ends in a goal.”

It added: “It is a very clear handball. This is the perfect example of what is known as deliberate handball.”

Despite the controversy, the decision stood and Manchester United completed a comprehensive win. The match also marked the club’s first victory of the season under Carrick, after they had been forced to recover from an early deficit.

The debate centred once again on the handball laws and the distinction between a player scoring directly and an opponent putting the ball into their own net. VAR judged that Maguire’s contact was accidental and that he was not the immediate goalscorer, allowing the goal to count.