Gary Neville reacts as referee Michael Salisbury overrules VAR to allow Matheus Cunha’s goal to stand in Man Utd’s 3-2 win against Forest.
A stunned Neville didn’t hold back after Manchester United’s second goal was awarded despite an on-field VAR review.
Premier League Match Centre tweeted: #MUNNFO – 55’ – After VAR review, the referee stuck with the original decision to award a goal to Manchester United. Referee announcement: “After review, the decision of goal stands because the handball offence is accidental, therefore the final decision is goal.”
The result means that Man Utd will finish 3rd in the Premier League with Luke Shaw, Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo getting on the scoresheet.
Morato and Morgan Gibbs-White netted from Elliot Anderson’s crosses for Nottingham Forest, while Fernandes got a record-equalling 20th assist.
“I think that’s an absolute shocker in every single way!”
Gary Neville reacts to the referee overruling VAR to allow Cunha’s goal to stand. pic.twitter.com/aulQv1eKt0
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) May 17, 2026
Wow. That’s disgraceful. Shocking shocking shocking. That’s a CLEAR hand ball.
— Alan Shearer (@alanshearer) May 17, 2026
Gary Neville on the handball on Mbeumo, per Sky Sports’ live blog: “I don’t know why they are looking at it so many times. I can see it in real time from 60 yards away. The arm brings the ball back into his arc of playing it. It would have run away from him. It’s a no brainer.
“I think that is an absolute shocker in every single way. It’s ridiculous. The VAR have been quite clear, they said it has been disallowed, he has handballed it and brought the ball back into play. I can’t believe what I have just seen to be honest.
“VAR looked at it for three minutes and then the referee looks at it for another minute. They are overthinking it. They have got themselves into a real mess there.”
Micah Richards: “It’s a handball. It’s as simple as that. The referee has gone to the screen and made a decision but if you look at it, it’s clear as day.”
Roy Keane: “We are confused ourselves here, especially when the referee gets asked to go to the screen and then gives it. All of us ex footballers will all be saying the same, handball, and I don’t think anyone would have complained about it. We were all scratching our heads when it was allowed.”
Darren Cann (ex-Premier League assistant referee) said while on Final Score: “You can clearly see that the ball comes off Mbeumo’s arm prior to going to Cunha. For me it is a penalisable handball. Mbeumo does control the ball and while he’s not the scorer himself, football’s expectation is for that to be disallowed as opposed to being given.
“The law states that usually it’s the scorer, if he accidentally or deliberately handles the ball before putting the ball in the back of the net, it will be disallowed. Football’s expectation is that the handball outweighs any possible deflection off Mbeumo’s hip.”
“It’s handball, it’s as simple as that!”
Micah Richards and Roy Keane “confused” by the decision to overrule a handball on Mbeumo in the build-up to Cunha’s goal. pic.twitter.com/S9uFJwIHXa
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) May 17, 2026
Nottingham Forest boss Vitor Pereira said to BBC MOTD:
“Crazy game, transitions and counters. We played the last minutes with our hearts and ambitions but we lost our balance and organisation and in the end this is a dangerous team on the counter attack. They break intentionally and stay with three or four players for counter attack. This is a moment we need to control but we didn’t and we tried to score. The only thing that was a pity for the game in my opinion is that the game was decided by a decision and I don’t agree with it.
“I looked at the iPad to look at the image and I stayed very calm but in the end I think we need to have a meeting together to understand when it’s handball, when it’s a block, when it’s a block in the box. At the moment we don’t know what is possible or not and a lot of the time we don’t understand the decisions. But I must accept it.”
On character of team: “Even if I want to keep them organised, they want to score and will try everything. Not in an organised way but in the end I’m proud of my players and supporters. We keep going with our work to try to win the next game.
“This is a special group. They have character, quality and when they try everything to get points from this game we are in a position that we can do this. We are not in relegation battle. Today we wanted to win the game but in the end this result wasn’t possible.”
Morgan Gibbs-White said to Sky Sports, as per BBC Sport’s live blog: : “It was promising, first half it wasn’t good enough, we were too slow, but second-half we came out fighting and showed character desire. We kept fighting and didn’t give up.
On the handball decision: “No matter what I say, it’s not going to change the outcome. From the angle I was standing at, it looked like he caught the ball, whether he scores or not for me it was still a handball. And he’s continued the action but he should’ve blown the whistle. I asked him after and he said if Mbeumo scores it’s not a goal but because Cunha scored it’s a goal, which didn’t make sense for me. Because he allowed the action to carry on which it should’ve got blown. No matter what I say it doesn’t change the outcome, I’m proud of the boys for the second-half we need to keep building and carry on.”
Should the handball rules be looked at: “I think we need to have clear rules, there’s a lot of controversy around it this season. It’s not clear to anyone. I don’t think anyone understands the rulings on it. I’m proud of the boys and we need to continue the run we are on.”
Twitter users had their say after Gary Neville reacts as the referee overrules VAR to allow Cunha’s goal to stand…
@WestHam_Central: Another day, another farce. Are they dumb?
@Mathewforthh: Just bin it off. I’d rather have wrong decisions made in real time, with the hope they’d even out over a season, than having games ruined like this. Absolute waste of technology
@rjb_1998: ???? That’s just not applying the rules ahahhhahaha, should genuinely be sacked
@adamjdh8: In a week of comically poor VAR decisions, that’s the worst of the lot. Farcical. #nffc @PGMOL_FA
@_Riddock_: I haven’t got a clue what handball is anymore…these exact inconsistencies are the reason why my love for the sport is diminishing
@mallyslife_: What an absolute shambles of a refereeing decision that is. The advantage gained from trapping the ball with his arm against his body is clear and obvious @FA_PGMOL you need to take action and at the very least publicly apologise #NFFC #PremierLeague
@Eddsyy: Make the rules up as they go. People always say this is an outlandish claim, but if the roles were reversed, it gets disallowed.
@ForestFanF13794: Fair play to @GNev2 – we’ve given him a lot of stick. But even he thinks that’s a shocking decision! #nffc
@NFFC_EPL: Players didn’t celebrate, Gary Neville says it’s not a goal & the VAR team reviewing say it’s not a goal. Ref overrules VAR 😂😂😂 The biggest disgrace of a decision I’ve seen since VAR has come into play. Should never referee again. You’re corrupt to the core @FA_PGMOL #NFFC
@Tr1ckyTrees:
Is there a clear handball .. YES
Does that handball have an involvement in the goal .. YES
Should this goal be ruled out .. YES
WHATS THE FUCKING POINT IN VAR!
WEEK AFTER WEEK, SAME SHIT DIFFERENT GAME!
AT THIS POINT, JUST FUCK OFF
Let the refs, ref the game
#NFFC
“Tell them all it was accidental & allow the goal” pic.twitter.com/zik3UkIp23
— Michael Jewkes (@MichaelJewkes) May 17, 2026
Michael Salisbury overrules VAR because he says Mbuemo accidentally handled the ball.
Surely a professional, top level official knows it doesn’t need to be intentional to be handball.
One of the most astonishing, delusional calls I’ve ever seen.
— Max Scott (@maxbscott) May 17, 2026
What’s a joke football is. Absolutely spineless from the ref. Bullshit. No other word for it! #manutdvforest
Big 6 decision right there. @premierleague— Lee Westwood (@WestwoodLee) May 17, 2026