Erik ten Hag slams VAR and referees after Man United lose to West Ham

Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has voiced his concerns over the Premier League’s Video Assistant Referee (VAR) process, suggesting that on-pitch official David Coote lacked the authority to resist awarding West Ham a penalty.

The incident in question occurred when VAR official Michael Oliver recommended Coote review a collision between United’s Matthijs de Ligt and West Ham’s Danny Ings, ultimately leading to the penalty decision.

The Premier League Match Centre wrote that, “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 introduced the ‘referee’s call’ rule this season, allowing on-field officials the benefit of the doubt in close calls.

However, Manchester United were outraged when VAR official Michael Oliver advised David Coote to review the incident involving Matthijs de Ligt and Danny Ings.

Jarrod Bowen then converted the 92nd-minute penalty, sealing United’s fourth league defeat of the season.

“First of all, in football not always the best team win and today it was clear and obvious and clear and obvious was not how the VAR worked, how they run their process,” Erik ten Hag said.

“Before the season they explained the process of the VAR and only when it is clear and obvious then they should interfere.

“What they didn’t do against Spurs, where they should have done it, to interfere with the red card of Bruno (Fernandes), that was a wrong decision and now they make a wrong decision interfering.

“Both had big impacts on the scores of the games.

“As I say, I don’t criticise any person but I criticise the process.

“The off-field VAR was Michael Oliver but the on-field, you have to make a decision in the final moment and he did I think three minutes to decide.

“But then you have to show big personality to recall this decision.

“I am not criticising any person, I criticise the process and of course there are people running the process.

“But it had a big impact on the score and the other impact is we didn’t score.”

“We create so many chances, we played such good football, especially in the first half is exactly how I want to see my team playing,” Ten Hag added.

“We are so dominant in and out of possession, very good build-up, very good structures, playing between the lines, go around, back inside, go behind, create chances.

“I collected six or seven 100 per cent chances we should have scored and that is the other thing.

“When you don’t score, we have to keep calm and keep going, do the same thing and that will create chances.

“That is a point of improvement but all over I had not so many criticisms of my team apart from not scoring.”

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