Harry Maguire's effort against Ipswich was not awarded as his own goal, because VAR judged the ball had deflected in off Jacob Greaves after an accidental handball. The incident came in the 56th minute with Manchester United and Ipswich locked at 1-1 early in the second half. Jarred Gillett, on the BBC broadcast, said: "It's an own goal and the accidental handball is not punishable, so we recommend you award the goal."

Why the goal stood

The key detail was the direction of Maguire's shot. BBC's explanation said his effort was going well wide before it deflected into the net off Greaves, which took the handball out of the punishable zone. The Premier League statement also said the referee's call was checked and confirmed by VAR, with Maguire not deemed the immediate goalscorer after an accidental handball.

That is the point that settled the decision. The scoreline was already 1-1, so the review was not about rescuing a finished result, it was about whether the touch off Greaves changed the identity of the scorer.

Bruce's view on Maguire

Steve Bruce took a different line on Maguire's reputation when he spoke to talkSPORT. "I always think that Harry Maguire always gets a bad deal, and he always comes around and proves people wrong in my opinion," he said.

Bruce also added: "So maybe I'll go for Harry. I don't think he gets the accolades that he should have got, certainly after watching them for the last eight to ten years."

The wider point is not hard to miss. Maguire joined Manchester United from Leicester City for £80million in 2019, has made over 260 appearances for the club, and was appointed captain just five months after his arrival. His 6.7 rating in the 5-2 win over Ipswich was steady enough, even if the afternoon will be remembered more for the VAR call than for the performance itself.

United's next league game will not erase the debate around the handball, but the ruling is already clear: the goal counted as an own goal off Greaves, not as a Maguire strike.

Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 3 outlets. How we work →