Many believe that Manchester United were severely wronged by the referee of their match against Arsenal, Simon Hooper, as well as by the controversial VAR decisions in the Red Devils’ 1-0 defeat at Old Trafford in the Premier League opener.
The game began with the only goal of the match, scored in the 12th minute with a header by Gunners star Riccardo Calafiori.
Replays showed that Arsenal defender William Saliba pressed goalkeeper Altay Bayindir’s hand while trying to catch the ball, effectively awarding United a free kick and disallowing the goal.
VAR reviewed the play and, strangely, did not ask Hooper to go to the monitor to view it. It upheld his decision to allow the goal, which caused a great uproar.
⚽️ ريكاردو كالافيوري يفتتح التسجيل لآرسنال في شباك مانشستر يونايتد! 🔥
🤔 برأيك… هل يتحمل الحارس المسؤولية أم هناك خطأ ؟#الدوري_الإنجليزي_الممتاز #مانشستر_يونايتد pic.twitter.com/yxCRLaFNQE
— beIN SPORTS (@beINSPORTS) August 17, 2025
The second, and perhaps the most influential, decision of the match came in the second half, and was also the protagonist of William Saliba.
The French defender tackled Manchester United striker Matheus Cunha hard, bringing him down inside the penalty area as the Brazilian attempted to control the ball. Despite the clear intrusion of Saliba’s foot into the Red Devils star’s, VAR again paid little attention to the incident.
In general, this isn’t the only match to witness controversial refereeing decisions in the Premier League today. Prior to this, in the Chelsea-Crystal Palace match, the Super Cup champions were denied a stunning goal from a free kick by Eze, thanks to another controversial VAR decision.
