Was Manchester United wrongfully punished with a Penalty against West Ham? Who are to Blame?

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Manchester United conceded a late penalty against West Ham to suffer their fourth Premier League defeat on Sunday (October 27).

Matthijs de Ligt and Danny Ings fought for a ball in the box and after a close contact incident, the VAR got involved and awarded a penalty against the Red Devils. Jarrod Bowen found the net as the Hammers won 2-1 at the expense of Man United.

Although the on-field referee David Coote didn't award anything, the VAR referee Michael Oliver got involved and overturned the decision. The VAR overturn was based on a clear and obvious error as it was stated.

"The referee did not award a penalty to West ham for a challenge by de Ligt on Ings. The VAR deemed there was sufficient contact on Ings' lower leg and recommended an on-field review. The referee overturned his original decision and awarded a penalty," the Premier League Match Centre statement wrote.

Was it a Penalty against Manchester United?

Although people may argue about the contact with Danny Ings, it was an absolutely shocking decision from the VAR to inspect and overturn the decision. There was not any obvious error from Coote, and the contact, if any, was in motion and De Ligt and Ings' legs got tangled with each other. Even the Hammers players were not vocal about the penalty, which shows how minimal the contact was. It was a NOT A PENALTY on any day and thus Erik ten Hag and his team were extremely unlucky to concede it.

"That for me is an awful decision. I don't know why and how VAR gave it. Even the referee could have watched it and disagreed with the decision. It is a shocking and awful decision. All the talk will be about that awful decision," the Premier League match day pundits said in the post-match show.

Who is to Blame?

There are many culprits for the appalling level of refereeing in the Premier League. The VAR official Michael Oliver is the biggest one, whereas the on-field referee David Coote also deserves a share of it. Coote, after seeing the replay, should have stuck with his original decision. And for Oliver, his questionable decisions are becoming too regular this season and perhaps an evaluation is imperative.

The refereeing in the Premier League has been awful over the past few years and the introduction of VAR hasn't been able to curb it. The controversial decisions, inconsistency and baffling intervening have marred the English Premier League and Oliver's latest blunder is another in the long list of it.