Premier League makes major referee decision on Michael Oliver following West Ham vs Man United controversy
Manchester United update: Premier League assigns Michael Oliver new role after his VAR referral in Erik ten Hag's final game against West Ham
Premier League referee Michael Oliver, who advised David Coote to review his decision not to award West Ham a late penalty against Manchester United, has been assigned a match for the upcoming weekend.
The decision ultimately led to Jarrod Bowen’s successful 96th-minute penalty kick, sealing United’s defeat and marking the end of Erik ten Hag’s tenure as United manager, as he was dismissed less than 24 hours later.
This game capped a poor run of form for United, with only one win in their last eight matches.
Post-match, Ten Hag expressed frustration with VAR’s intervention at the London Stadium. “Clear and obvious wasn’t how VAR processed this,” he said, voicing his concerns.
He added, “Before the season, they explained that VAR would only intervene for clear and obvious errors.
It should have stepped in for Bruno’s red card at Tottenham, which was a wrong decision, and this one was too.
Both had significant impacts on the games.”
Ten Hag clarified that his critique was directed at the VAR process rather than specific individuals. “I’m not criticizing anyone personally; I’m criticizing the process.
But of course, people are running this process, and it had a major effect on the score.”
United, however, missed several chances in the first half to secure a comfortable lead over West Ham, led by Julen Lopetegui.
Opportunities for Diogo Dalot and Rasmus Hojlund, among others, contributed to the outcome as much as Oliver and Coote’s call did.
After United leveled the score through Casemiro following Crysencio Summerville’s opener for the Hammers, a foul by Matthijs de Ligt on Danny Ings was later flagged.
Coote, the on-field referee, initially allowed play to continue, but Oliver advised him to review the incident on the pitchside monitor.
Following a prolonged examination, Coote awarded the penalty, a decision that has since drawn criticism towards Oliver.
Former Premier League referee Dermot Gallagher weighed in on Sky Sports’ Ref Watch, stating, “I didn’t see it as a penalty.
It looked like a natural coming together.
De Ligt barely did anything wrong, and Ings moved into him.
The referee played on, which I thought was correct. When he was sent to the monitor, I expected him to stick with his decision. I was genuinely surprised when he reversed it.”
