It looked like a handball. It looked like a goal. And for Ipswich Town, it looked like VAR had found another way to cause frustration. Yet after checking the incident, VAR Jared Gillett advised the referee to award Manchester United’s goal because the ball ended up in the net as an own goal.
The incident began when the ball was cleared out of the Ipswich penalty area and appeared to hit Harry Maguire’s arm. The United defender then brought the ball under control and fired towards goal, only for Jacob Greaves to make a huge deflection that sent it into the net.
That deflection was the key. VAR had to decide whether Maguire was the scorer and whether the contact with his arm was punishable under the laws of the game.
The review concluded that Greaves was the immediate scorer because of the deflection. VAR then told the referee: “It’s an own goal and the accidental handball is not punishable, so we recommend you award the goal.”
That distinction matters. If Maguire’s effort had gone directly into the net, the accidental handball would have meant the goal could not stand. Because Greaves changed the ball’s path and became the own goalscorer, the handball did not cancel the goal.
The decision will still feel harsh to Ipswich. The ball clearly struck Maguire’s arm, and the incident happened moments before United benefited from the goal.
However, the laws leave room for the VAR judgement. Maguire was challenging for a bouncing ball with his arms in front of his body, making the contact reasonably classed as accidental.
It was a classic VAR grey area. Ipswich can feel unlucky, while United can point to the law and move on.
The bigger issue is the handball law itself. Its subjective nature means two different judgements can produce two very different outcomes, even when everyone sees the same incident.
