Gary Neville fumes at the Cunha handball call that sparked Manchester United’s win

Three minutes of VAR scrutiny, another minute at the pitchside monitor, and Michael Salisbury still pointed to the centre circle. Gary Neville thought the decision was “an absolute shocker” after Matheus Cunha’s 54th-minute goal stood and Manchester United went 2-1 up against Nottingham Forest. The official line was that the handball offence was accidental, but Neville was not buying it.

Why the VAR decision blew up

Neville did not soften his view on commentary. “I think that is an absolute shocker in every single way. It’s ridiculous,” he said, adding that VAR had “got themselves into a real mess there.” He also said the arm had brought the ball back into Bryan Mbeumo’s arc of play. That was the heart of the disagreement, and it is easy to see why it landed so badly for viewers. A lengthy review ended with the goal standing anyway.

Michael Salisbury’s explanation was brief and direct. “After review, the decision of goal stands because the handball offence is accidental, therefore the final decision is goal.” The Premier League Match Centre said the same thing. That leaves the argument where it should be left, with one camp seeing a clear offence in the build-up and the officials insisting the contact was accidental. The key point is that the on-field call survived the review.

Fernandes' milestone was the quieter headline

While the debate over the Cunha goal dominated the night, Bruno Fernandes still reached his 20th Premier League assist of the season. That matches Kevin De Bruyne and Thierry Henry for the most assists in a single Premier League campaign, and it came in a full 2991 league minutes. His 7.61 league rating underlines how productive he has been across the season, not just in one match.

The assist milestone matters, but it sat in the background because the VAR call was the flashpoint everyone kept replaying. United’s 3-2 win over Nottingham Forest also sealed third place in the Premier League, so the result had real weight beyond the argument over one decision. Fernandes’ numbers were a clean statistical note on a messy night, and the 20-assist mark now sits alongside two of the league’s biggest creative seasons.

If United’s finish is the concrete outcome and Fernandes’ tally is the clean number, the argument around the goal is the bit that will keep circulating. Neville made his view plain, Salisbury stuck with the goal, and United walked away with a 3-2 win, third place, and another Fernandes assist on the sheet.