Why Maguire’s controversial handball goal against Ipswich Town was allowed to stand

Harry Maguire scored a controversial goal for Manchester United against Ipswich Town despite the ball clearly striking his hand, because the subsequent touch from Jacob Greaves turned the effort into an own goal.

The incident happened in the 56th minute, when Maguire attempted a shot that was accidentally deflected into the Ipswich goal by Greaves. The referee reviewed the decision with the assistance of the video assistant referee (VAR), but the goal was ultimately allowed to stand.

The key issue was that Maguire’s handball was not considered a direct offence leading to him scoring the goal. Although the ball did touch his hand, his attempt was not heading into the net before Greaves made the decisive contact.

Under the law introduced by the International Football Association Board (IFAB) in 2021, an accidental handball is not an offence when it leads to a team-mate scoring or having an opportunity to score.

That rule does not apply in the same way when the player who handles the ball accidentally goes on to score directly. In that situation, the goal would be disallowed.

In Maguire’s case, however, the goal was recorded as an own goal because the final touch came from Greaves. The fact that Maguire was not officially credited as the scorer meant the handball did not provide grounds for overturning the decision.

The Premier League confirmed that the goal had been correctly awarded after the VAR review.

“The referee’s decision to award a goal to Manchester United was checked and confirmed by the video assistant referee (VAR), who determined that Maguire was not the direct scorer after an accidental handball,” the league said.

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

The situation was similar to an incident involving Bosnia and Italy in the European play-off for the 2026 World Cup.

Bosnia’s equaliser in the 79th minute came after the ball touched Edin Dzeko’s hand before a team-mate followed up to score. The goal was awarded despite the contact with the Bosnian captain because Dzeko was not the player who put the ball into the net.

The distinction in both cases is whether the player who handled the ball is the direct scorer. An accidental handball can still be relevant when a player immediately scores themselves, but it does not automatically invalidate a goal when the ball subsequently enters the net through an opponent or a team-mate.

In the Manchester United incident, Greaves’ touch changed the status of the attempt and meant Maguire was not regarded as the direct scorer. That was why, after the VAR check, the goal was confirmed rather than ruled out.