HAVE YOUR SAY! Man Utd handball call is already a contender for the worst refereeing decision of the season - the law has to change

One of the oldest gripes from a huge swathe of football’s fanbase is that the established, elite institutions get favourable treatment from referees. Big-club bias, to put it simply.

Most of the time, those complaints are paranoid nonsense. And, of course, no official gives any team - whatever its size - preferential status. They are strictly impartial and no-one has any evidence to suggest otherwise.

But if the conspiracy theorists wanted early-season fuel for their theory, it came during Manchester United’s 5-2 win over Ipswich Town. The decision to allow United’s second goal - a Jacob Greaves own goal that put the home side 2-1 ahead - is already a contender for the worst VAR/refereeing call of the Premier League season. And we are only two games in.

Jarred Gillett was the VAR but Craig Pawson, in charge on the field, cannot be excused either. The fallout to the decision has been diluted by a couple of things.

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United went on to score three more goals and had 33 attempts on goal in the contest. To pinpoint blame for the Ipswich defeat on that one incident would be mildly preposterous.

Plus, the Premier League's narrative seems to be that the officials were only following a little-known rule stating that an accidental handball is not punishable if an own goal follows it. Indeed, the Premier League released Gillett’s assessment of the incident.

He told Pawson: “It’s an own goal and the accidental handball is not punishable. So, we recommend you award the goal.”

The rule change was introduced for the 2021/22 Premier League season. If a player is guilty of accidental handball and then scores, the goal will be disallowed.

But Maguire’s shot was off-target and only taken into the net by the deflection off Greaves. So the goal stood. And if and when the decision is officially reviewed, Gillett and Pawson will probably be seen to have acted according to the law.

But the bottom line is that they got it badly wrong. Because there was one simple reason to disallow the goal. Maguire’s handball was NOT accidental.

The United defender raised his hand towards his chest and the ball when he made his challenge. He put himself into a position which gave every chance of there being a handball. And there was. A clear one.

It is handball, it is a free-kick to Ipswich, end of story. And, of course, Maguire knew it, smiling: “It's a new rule. We deserved that bit of luck."

Ipswich manager Gary O’Neil also knew the goal should not have stood but was right not to make too much of a big deal. His team ended up being distinctly second best and United were very good value for their handsome win.

It is almost certain that even without that decision, Carrick’s side would have overwhelmed Ipswich. They were excellent.

They were so good that they did not need help. They did not need any big-club bias. But did they get it? You decide.

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