Why Man Utd goal was allowed to stand – despite Maguire ‘handball’
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Manchester United's Harry Maguire appeared to score with a handball during their Premier League match against Ipswich Town, sparking confusion among supporters after officials allowed the goal to stand. Although the ball struck Maguire's arm before his shot ended up in the net, the goal was correctly awarded because Maguire was not actually credited as the scorer – his effort was deflected in by Ipswich's Jacob Greaves, making it an own goal. Under the handball law, a goal is only disallowed for accidental handball if it falls to the scorer's own team, meaning the incident highlighted a little-understood nuance of the rules.
Video assistant referee Jarred Gillett confirmed to referee Craig Pawson that the accidental handball was "not punishable" because the goal was ultimately an own goal, and recommended it stand. A similar scenario occurred in January 2023 when a Brentford goal against Liverpool followed an accidental handball by Ben Mee before deflecting in off an opponent. Ipswich manager Gary O'Neil and pundits including Paul Robinson and Darren Bent acknowledged the officials were correctly applying a "complicated" law, even if it felt harsh on Ipswich. United went on to win the game 5-2, with Bruno Fernandes scoring a hat-trick.
- Maguire's handball led to a goal, but it was ruled an own goal
- Handball law exempts own goals scored off a defender's deflection
- Man Utd beat Ipswich 5-2, Bruno Fernandes scored a hat-trick
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Manchester United beat Ipswich Town 5-2 in the Premier League, in a game that produced an unusual refereeing talking point. Harry Maguire appeared to score after the ball struck his arm, but rather than the goal being disallowed, it stood because the shot was ultimately credited as an own goal, having been deflected in by Ipswich defender Jacob Greaves. Under football's handball rules, a goal is only ruled out for accidental handball if it falls to a player on the scoring team, so because Maguire was not the official scorer, the law did not apply.
The decision was reviewed by the video assistant referee (VAR), Jarred Gillett, who advised on-field referee Craig Pawson that the goal should stand. This is not the first time the rule has produced a similar outcome: a comparable situation arose in a Premier League match between Brentford and Liverpool in January 2023, when an accidental handball also preceded an own goal.
The episode has drawn attention because the handball law is widely seen as complex and easy to misunderstand, even among those closely involved in the match. Ipswich's manager, Gary O'Neil, and television pundits including Paul Robinson and Darren Bent said officials had applied the rule correctly, despite it appearing harsh on Ipswich at the time.
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