Man United goal against Forest shouldn't have counted — PGMOL

Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) chief Howard Webb has issued a formal apology to Nottingham Forest, officially acknowledging a glaring refereeing error that allowed Manchester United's second goal to stand during their 3-2 Premier League defeat at Old Trafford on Sunday, May 17.

According to the Telegraph, Webb directly contacted Forest officials on Monday to admit that Matheus Cunha's strike, which temporarily gave United a 2-1 lead, should have been immediately ruled out for a clear handball in the build-up by teammate Bryan Mbeumo. 

The refereeing body conceded that the match officials completely misjudged the situation, confirming that Mbeumo's intervention provided an unfair advantage that directly led to the finish. 

The admission serves as cold comfort for Forest, as the highly controversial decision proved costly by directly impacting the match's final outcome.

The heavily scrutinised incident unfolded when the ball struck Mbeumo's arm before falling into the path of Cunha, who emphatically fired home. 

Recognising the possible infringement, VAR official Peter Bankes correctly intervened and instructed on-field referee Michael Salisbury to review the sequence at the pitch-side monitor with the expectation of overturning the goal. 

However, in a rare defiance of the technology, marking only the fourth time this season a referee has rejected VAR advice after an on-field review, Salisbury controversially judged the contact to be accidental and shockingly upheld his original decision. 

The incident has only further intensified the season-long controversy surrounding VAR's consistency in the Premier League, prompting widespread outrage from pundits and leaving Forest manager Vítor Pereira openly demanding an emergency meeting with officials to clarify the league's increasingly ambiguous and frustrating handball interpretations.