{"id":679643,"date":"2026-05-19T12:52:11","date_gmt":"2026-05-19T12:52:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/679643\/"},"modified":"2026-05-19T12:52:11","modified_gmt":"2026-05-19T12:52:11","slug":"why-matheus-cunha-goal-should-have-been-disallowed-after-pgmo-admission","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/679643\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Matheus Cunha Goal Should Have Been Disallowed After PGMO Admission"},"content":{"rendered":"

Manchester United\u2019s crucial second goal in Sunday\u2019s 3\u20132 win over Nottingham Forest should not have counted, in the eyes of refereeing chief Howard Webb.<\/p>\n

Webb, head of Professional Game Match Officials (PGMO), is reported to have acknowledged in a discussion with Forest he initiated on Monday that the decision from the on-field referee to let Matheus Cunha\u2019s goal stand was incorrect.<\/p>\n

Cunha applied the finish, a goal which put Manchester United 2\u20131 ahead after a period of Forest pressure, but the issue stemmed from Bryan Mbeumo\u2019s involvement. <\/p>\n

Mbeumo\u2019s shot rebounded to Cunha when it was blocked, after the Cameroonian forward had used his arm\u2014albeit accidentally\u2014to initially get the ball under control. Getting caught between Mbeumo\u2019s hip and arm stopped it going past him.<\/p>\n

Once Cunha found the bottom corner of the net, there was some hesitancy in the celebrations even though referee Michael Salisbury signaled for a goal. But a VAR intervention that delayed the game for around three minutes then recommended the on-field official take another look.<\/p>\n

At that stage, the expectation was that Salisbury would reverse his decision and disallow the goal. But, having consulted the pitch-side monitor for another minute, he stuck to the original decision on account of the handball from Mbeumo still being perceived as \u201caccidental.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n

Commentating live for Sky Sports at the time, ex-United captain Gary Neville described the decision as an \u201can absolute shocker in every single way.\u201d<\/p>\n

#MUNNFO<\/a> \u2013 55\u2019 <\/p>\n

After VAR review, the referee stuck with the original decision to award a goal to Manchester United. <\/p>\n

Referee announcement: \u201cAfter review, the decision of goal stands because the handball offence is accidental, therefore the final decision is goal.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2014 Premier League Match Centre (@PLMatchCentre) May 17, 2026<\/a>What Is the Rule on Handball in Soccer?<\/p>\n

The soccer rulebook is unhelpfully open to interpretation, but there is nothing in this instance that specifically validates Salisbury\u2019s decision to let the goal stand because of accidental handball.<\/p>\n

Only deliberate handball\u2014\u201cmoving the hand\/arm towards the ball\u201d\u2014is automatically an offense. Crucially, however, a player who \u201ctouches the ball with their hand\/arm when it has made their body unnaturally bigger\u201d is also deemed guilty of handball. Even though Mbeumo had no intention of using his arm in that moment, that it touched the ball in that position is still considered handball.<\/p>\n

The sickener for Nottingham Forest is that, had Mbeumo scored from the shot he took\u2014before it was blocked and fell to Cunha instead, the decision to disallow the goal would have been far easier.<\/p>\n

The rules state that it is considered to be a handball offense if a player \u201cscores in the opponents\u2019 goal immediately after the ball has touched their hand\/arm, even if accidental.\u201d<\/p>\n

Had Mbeumo scored himself, the incident would have been black and white, rather than a little gray.<\/p>\n

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