Ref Watch: Dermot Gallagher analyses West Ham’s penalty that got Erik ten Hag sacked by Manchester United and more

In Ref Watch, former referee Dermot Gallagher discusses the contentious events of the weekend, including Jarrod Bowen’s penalty that led to Erik ten Hag’s dismissal from Manchester United; VAR denied Arsenal’s late goal against Liverpool and disallowed Aston Villa’s opening goal.

Man Utd 2-1 West Ham

INCIDENT: Danny Ings of West Ham was touched by United defender Matthijs de Ligt, but David Coote first waved play on. Coote gave West Ham a penalty, which Jarrod Bowen scored after Michael Oliver on VAR advised him to go to the monitor.

DERMOT SAYS: “I’m speculating, but I believe he’s seen the thighs unite and believes De Ligt has entered him. He took a brief glance, made a decision, and gave a recommendation.

But that’s the main problem—it’s advised. It’s a hard-and-fast belief that if you go to the monitor, things will change.

“That’s because they believe you’ve done a glaring and obvious mistake, which is why you’re being put to the monitor by definition.

“The referee will keep it in mind, but they still have all of their options. The more I saw it, the more I was certain it wasn’t a penalty, so I genuinely believed he would stick with the on-field ruling.”

“Coote needed to have strength in that circumstance. However, Michael Oliver, a veteran referee, was involved.

“It’s a really bad use of VAR,” Sue Smith says. At first, the referee made the correct call. Although there is contact, it was always going to exist. I was expecting the referee to say, “Yeah, I got it right initially.”

“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.”