Former Premier League referee Dermot Gallagher has made his feelings clear on the controversial VAR penalty decision against Manchester United in the West Ham defeat.
Manchester United dropped valuable points on their trip to the London Stadium on Sunday afternoon, with West Ham sealing a 2-1 Premier League victory.
The Red Devils impressed with their performance in the first half, but United were unable to break the deadlock and both sides went into half-time with a 0-0 scoreline.
However, West Ham made their presence felt in the second half and Crysencio Summerville opened the scoring for the Hammers in the 74th minute.
United climbed back into the contest in the 81st minute thanks to Casemiro before the match was engulfed in controversy due to a contentious penalty.
Referee David Coote initially waved away calls for a penalty after United defender Matthijs de Ligt came together with Danny Ings in the area.
However, VAR intervened and David Coote took a second look at the monitor before pointing to the spot, with Jarrod Bowen subsequently converting the penalty.
Gallagher on penalty and VAR vs Man Utd
Jarrod Bowen’s penalty in second-half injury time ensured that West Ham sealed all three points against Manchester United at the London Stadium.
United are in 14th place in the Premier League table after their opening nine league matches, with the Red Devils only seven points above the relegation zone.
The 2-1 defeat to West Ham also marked the end of Erik ten Hag’s reign after United on Monday confirmed that the Dutchman had been sacked.
Speaking on Sky Sports’ Ref Watch, Dermot Gallagher admitted that he became more “convinced” that it wasn’t a penalty after rewatching the incident.
“I’m second-guessing but I think he’s seen the thigh come together and thinks De Ligt has gone into him,” he said.
“He’s had a quick look, he’s made his judgement, he’s recommended.
“That’s the key issue though – recommended. We all say you go to the monitor and there’s a hard-and-fast thought it’s going to change.
“That’s because by definition, you’re being sent to the monitor because they think you’ve made a clear and obvious error.
“That will be in the referee’s mind, but they do retain all options. I really did think he would stick with the on-field decision, because the more I saw it the more I was convinced it wasn’t a penalty.”
Gallagher on VAR and referees
Ruud van Nistelrooy, who was part of Erik ten Hag’s coaching staff, has been appointed interim manager in the aftermath of the ex-United boss’ dismissal.
Gallagher added that referee David Coote made a “mistake” with his call and played down the idea that the VAR’s officials swayed the referee’s mind.
“Let’s take the names out of it and look at it as a VAR,” he said.
“When you go to the screen, I take the point that you feel at a disadvantage because you’re thinking it’s got to be a clear and obvious error.
“But you’ve got to be open-minded enough, broad-shouldered enough, not to think about who’s sent me, to go with a blank canvas.
“Let’s look at it – wow, that’s how I saw it on the field, no, come back, drop the ball to the goalkeeper.
“In my opinion, not representing everyone else, the guy made a genuine mistake. That’s all it is. Unfortunately, it ramped up a bit.”
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