Premier League chief refereeing officer Howard Webb has admitted that the controversial Video Assistant Referee (VAR) decision during Manchester United’s defeat to West Ham United played a significant role in the aftermath that led to Erik ten Hag’s dismissal.
Softfootball understands that the Dutch manager was sacked shortly after United suffered a 2-1 defeat at the London Stadium, where West Ham were awarded a late penalty following a VAR intervention.
Webb acknowledged that the decision to overturn the on-field call was incorrect, explaining that the VAR placed too much emphasis on Matthijs de Ligt’s challenge on Danny Ings while overlooking the overall context of the incident.
According to Webb, the video official became overly focused on De Ligt’s leg making contact with the West Ham forward after the ball had already gone past the defender.
He believes the incident did not meet the threshold for VAR intervention and that the referee’s original decision should have been allowed to stand.
Webb added that, in his view, the challenge was not worthy of a penalty and the game should have continued without a foul being awarded.
The controversial spot-kick ultimately proved decisive, with West Ham claiming a 2-1 victory in what became Ten Hag’s final match in charge of Manchester United before the club relieved him of his duties.
