Howard Webb, the chief of referees, has stated that West Ham should not have received a penalty during Erik ten Hag’s final match as manager of Manchester United on October 27.
The penalty was awarded after video assistant referee (VAR) Michael Oliver recommended a review of Matthijs de Ligt’s challenge on Danny Ings.
Although on-field referee David Coote initially allowed play to continue, he later awarded the penalty after consulting the pitch-side monitor.
Jarrod Bowen converted the penalty, securing a 2-1 victory for West Ham, while Ten Hag was dismissed less than 24 hours later.
Webb commented on the decision during Sky Sports’ Mic’d Up program, saying, “I thought it was a misread by the VAR.
Typically, he’s a talented and reliable official, but in this case, he became overly focused on De Ligt’s leg. His leg made contact with Ings, but the ball had already passed him by that point.”
He added, “The VAR perceived this as a clear foul, but I think he should not have intervened. In situations like this, the on-field decision should stand, regardless of the call. Overall, I don’t believe it was a penalty.”
Webb emphasized that on-field referees are not obligated to follow VAR recommendations. “They are fully entitled to maintain their original decision when they review the monitor,” he explained.
This marks Webb’s first public comments since Coote was suspended following the emergence of a video in which he allegedly made derogatory remarks about Liverpool and their former manager, Jurgen Klopp. Webb said, “We are taking the circulated video very seriously and have launched a full investigation. David Coote has been suspended pending the investigation’s outcome. There isn’t much more I can share until we conclude that process.”
