The VAR Review: Why Manchester City did not receive a second penalty vs Man United

Video Assistant Referee causes controversy every week in the Premier League, but how are decisions made, and are they correct?

Manchester City felt they should have had a second penalty after the break against Man United when Erling Haaland was wrestled to the ground by Harry Maguire

The game was in the 22nd minute when Julián Álvarez floated a free kick into the area from the right wing. Rodri went to ground under a challenge from Rasmus Højlund, but referee Paul Tierney didn’t see anything. Several City players appealed for a spot kick and the VAR, Michael Oliver, conducted a check while play went on.

You can’t argue that Højlund was holding Rodri, but was this enough for a VAR intervention? It will go down as a correct decision in law, but it doesn’t feel consistent with many other possible VAR penalties involving holding inside the area.

Indeed, in the second half Haaland went down when he appeared to be being held by Harry Maguire, but there was no intervention.

Discussing both incidents, former Premier League referee Dermot Gallagher explained why the first penalty was given and the second was not. Explaining the first on Sky Sports’ Ref Watch, he said: “It is difficult to say it is not a foul.

“What people ask is: ‘How many are we going to give now?’ I think if you look at that, you cannot say it is not a foul, as I say, the problem is going to be whether this is going to be given week in, week out but it is a foul.”

Gallagher was then showed footage of the Haaland incident and explained the striker would not have received a penalty even if referee Paul Tierney had spotted it at the time. “I think the difference there is Haaland has got him [Maguire] himself to start with,” he explained.

“It doesn’t end up with him holding him but they do clash together and they are pulling each other. So I think the referee would not have given a penalty there, even if he had seen it, I think he would have given a foul the other way.”