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Manchester United’s 2025/26 season has been blighted by refereeing mistakes.
When Manchester United look back at the league table in 2025/26, there will be satisfaction at improvement on the previous year. But there will also be frustration the record is not a lot better.
United have dropped too many points and drawn or lost games we should have won. In some cases this is down to missed chances. In other cases it has been down to the refereeing.
Referee and VAR decisions going against United has been consistent all season, and it’s not done yet.
There have been a litany of clear errors going against United, from disallowed goals, to red cards, to moments that were missed.
We have been looking back through the season and have compiled the ‘worst of the worst’…
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Getty Images Bayindir and Mount fouled for Arsenal winner as Cunha denied penalty
Manchester United’s opening day defeat to Arsenal set the tone. The Red Devils played well, but were undone by key decisions going in the Gunners’ favour.
The game turned on Riccardo Calafiori’s goal from a corner, where William Saliba fouled both Mason Mount and Altay Bayindir to gain a clear advantage.
Former referee Mark Clattenburg told United In Focus: “When you watch it in slow motion you can see Mason Mount was having his shirt pulled and Bayindir was being impeded while challenging for the ball.
“PGMOL said they would punish more this type of challenge, but again they failed.”
Later in the game there was an appeal for a penalty when Matheus Cunha was fouled by Saliba at the other end. Referee Simon Hooper waved play on, with United denied the chance for an equaliser.
Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty ImagesBrentford red card decision overturned after delay
One of the most farcical decisions all season came after United were correctly awarded a penalty away at Brentford, when Nathan Collins fouled Bryan Mbeumo.
Collins was the last man when he pulled Mbeumo back. Referee Craig Pawson consulted VAR for more than five minutes and decided to award only a yellow card.
The delayed game contributed to Fernandes missing the penalty, which would have tied the score at 2-2.
Instead of facing United at 2-2 with 10 men, Brentford played on with 11 and went on to score another goal to win 3-1.
Clattenburg told United In Focus: “This is why people are falling out of love with football when it takes VAR nearly 5 minutes to make a decision.
“Nathan Collins should have been shown a red card for this last-man foul on Bryan Mbeumo.
“Once the decision was a penalty kick, then Collins made no genuine attempt to play the ball, so the only outcome should be a red card.”
Photo by Simon Stacpoole/Offside/Offside via Getty ImagesWan-Bissaka escapes double booking vs United
Forgotten this one? We haven’t. Manchester United’s dour 1-1 draw at home to West Ham saw former player Aaron Wan-Bissaka escape a red card.
Wan-Bissaka had been booked minutes before scything down Patrick Dorgu, and managed to avoid a second booking.
Clattenburg told United In Focus: “The challenge was reckless and because he slides in from behind, this is a simple second yellow card and a one which should then have been punished with a red card.”
West Ham were able to complete the game with 11 men and see out the draw.
WHAT is the WORST refereeing decision made against Man United this season? 👀
Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images 
Photo by Stu Forster/Getty ImagesAntoine Semenyo throat grab on Dalot goes ignored
Manchester United’s 4-4 draw with Bournemouth in December had a bit of everything – except a red card.
United fans felt Antoine Semenyo should have seen red for grabbing Diogo Dalot by the throat during a confrontation.
While it was argued that the yellow card was the right call as it ‘lacked malice‘, United fans have long memories with these incidents.
Casemiro’s red card during the 2022/23 season against Crystal Palace saw him sent off for a similar incident. It is this lack of consistency that infuriates United supporters.
Photo by Ash Donelon/Manchester United via Getty ImagesLisandro Martinez goal disallowed at Turf Moor, as Kyle Walker ‘stamp’ on Dorgu goes unpunished
Manchester United’s 2-2 draw away at Burnley under Darren Fletcher was impacted by weak refereeing.
A clear goal from Lisandro Martinez was disallowed, with Kyle Walker going to ground after barely being touched moments earlier.
Considering the heavy handed approach United have seen at corners all season, and across the league, ruling this goal out seemed blatantly incorrect at the time.
Clattenburg told United In Focus: “This was a soft decision as many things go on inside the penalty area which go unpunished, and you can argue that there were some other fouls in the same phase of play.”
The Premier League’s KMI panel later ruled the decision was wrong. Too late.
In a separate incident in the game, Walker was not even carded for appearing to stamp on Patrick Dorgu.
Clattenburg added: “Kyle Walker was very fortunate not to receive punishment.”
Photo by PETER POWELL / AFP via Getty ImagesShea Lacey sent off for dissent
One decision that was technically correct but lacked some context was the red card given to Shea Lacey in the FA Cup against Brighton.
Lacey’s second booking was for throwing the ball to the ground after a decision from the referee.
The teenage substitute was distraught to be sent off on a rare appearance. There is a lesson to be learned, but this was handled with no tact at all, and Darren Fletcher was left seething.
Clattenburg expressed that Simon Hooper should have handled the incident better: “To the letter of the law, it’s the correct decision. But it shows how the game has changed.
“I would prefer the referee to warn the player to calm down and manage the situation.”
Photo by Joe Prior/Visionhaus via Getty ImagesMason Mount’s disallowed goal for ‘offside’ vs City, Fernandes denied obvious penalty
The Manchester Derby was a spectacular success for Michael Carrick. It could have been even more emphatic than the 2-0 victory.
Mason Mount scored a third goal in stoppage time, which was ruled out for one of the most desperately thin offside calls you will ever see.
Matheus Cunha was judged to be a fraction offside in the build-up to the goal. It was not an obvious one, and even on a replay you had to look two or three times to really see what was wrong.
Clattenburg commented: “The VAR replays showed that Cunha’s foot was ahead of the second most rear defender and was judged to be more than the tolerance of 5cms offside.
“We have to trust the system and the technology!”
There was another incident earlier in the game where Bernardo Silva brought down his Portugal teammate Bruno Fernandes inside the box.
The incident was either missed or ignored by VAR. It’s hard to know what’s worse.
Clattenburg told United In Focus: “Manchester United were very unfortunate not to get a penalty kick for a clear trip by Bernardo Silva on Bruno Fernandes.
“Even though the ball is outside the penalty area, the contact happens inside and a penalty kick should have been awarded and a yellow card for reckless play.
“It’s strange that VAR missed this off-the-ball incident, as they would have surely wanted to know why Fernandes had fallen over inside the penalty area.”
Photo by Charlotte Wilson/Offside/Offside via Getty ImagesAmad penalty disallowed and Maguire sent off vs Bournemouth
United were victim to a double-standard against Bournemouth, where two big calls went against us.
Amad was fouled inside the penalty area, and no foul was given. Bournemouth went on to score at the other end, which made the situation even more frustrating.
But what really infuriated supporters was to see Bournemouth then awarded a penalty when Evanilson softly went down inside the box, with Harry Maguire sent off as a result.
The inconsistency left pundits and fans bemused, with even Sky’s Dermot Gallagher admitting that the officials’ inconsistency messed up.
Michael Carrick also blasted: “We should have had another penalty. Obviously, if you get one, you must get the other.
“It’s pretty much identical for me, two-hand grab. Either way, he’s got one wrong, but to give one and not give the other, I can’t get my head around it. I think it’s crazy.
“It’s a bit baffling, really. Because of that, they score and then it’s chaos after that, really.
“We should have had another penalty and the game would have been totally different.”
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Carrick was fuming after the game
Getty Images 
Photo by James Gill – Danehouse/Getty ImagesMartinez sent off vs Leeds for hair pull as Calvert-Lewin elbows Yoro
Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s flailing elbows were absolutely fine all game, in the eyes of referee Paul Tierney.
But when it came to a slight tug on his pony tail from Lisandro Martinez, an instant red card was awarded for ‘violent conduct’.
Carrick blasted the inconsistency, pointing out that Calvert-Lewin had hit Leny Yoro in the face with his forearm in the lead-up to Leeds’ opener.
This was not reviewed, despite having a clear bearing on a goal.
Meanwhile, VAR sent Tierney to the screen for an innocuous coming together on the halfway line, where Calvert-Lewin had his hand in Martinez’s face.
United fans were left infuriated by the decision, and so was Michael Carrick, who vented his feelings after the game.
He told Sky Sports: “It’s not a pull, it’s not a tug, it’s not aggressive, he touches it and gets sent off. Worst of all is he was sent to overturn it as a clear and obvious error. It’s shocking.
“That’s two games in a row we’ve had those decisions go against us, but that one was one of the worst I’ve seen.””
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It was described as ‘violent conduct’
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