Manchester United played a friendly against Ipswich | Goal.com

Published on 30 Aug 2026 | Reading time: 2 minutes

A major refereeing controversy erupted in Sunday's Premier League clash between Manchester United and Ipswich.

Manchester United got back on track in the best possible way. They turned a one-goal deficit into a crushing 5-1 win over their guests Ipswich Town in the second round of the Premier League, claiming their first victory this season under manager Michael Carrick.

Once again, the handball rules took centre stage, with Harry Maguire helping to give Manchester United a 2-1 lead.

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Having won the ball back, the centre-back surged forward and delivered a cross into the penalty area that deflected into the net off Jacob Greaves for an own goal.

According to "The Sun", a review of the incident appears to show Maguire winning the ball back with his hands. But because he is not the actual scorer of the goal, it stood.

The newspaper continued: "Had Maguire benefited directly from the handball and scored himself, a free-kick would have been awarded and the goal disallowed".

It added: "Many will argue, and rightly so, that Maguire certainly benefited from the handball.

The Premier League Match Centre explained: "The referee's decision to award a goal to Manchester United was checked and confirmed by the Video Assistant Referee (VAR), as it was found that Maguire was not the direct scorer of the goal following an unintentional handball".

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The Video Assistant Referee's opinion was: "It is an own goal, and the unintentional handball is not punishable, so we recommend awarding the goal".

The decision left fans utterly baffled. Social media was flooded with scathing criticism of the officials.

One user wrote: "This Maguire goal can under no circumstances be considered an unintentional handball when his hands helped him control the ball".

Another said: "This is madness. If Maguire scores directly, it's a handball, but because it's an own goal, it isn't considered as such. Who makes these rules? Isn't a handball a handball?".

A third commented: "We lost football when we lost common sense. I don't care if the ball's path was diverted, this is a handball by Maguire".

Meanwhile, the "Archivo VAR" account on X, which specialises in refereeing incidents, said: "A resounding scandal for VAR in the Manchester United and Ipswich match. Maguire wins the ball back using both his hands moments before the incident ends with a goal".

It continued: "It is a very clear handball. We are looking at the textbook example of what is known as a deliberate handball".

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