VAR review: Did Man United deserve to be up a man at Sunderland?playMichallik: Man United need major squad improvements (2:16)Janusz Michallik believes Manchester United must invest in their squad to reach the next level. (2:16)Andy DaviesMultiple AuthorsMay 9, 2026, 02:35 PM ET
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Video assistant referee (VAR) causes controversy every week whether it be the Premier League, Champions League or FA Cup, but how are decisions made and are they correct?
This season, we take a look at the major incidents to examine and explain the process in terms of both VAR protocol and the Laws of the Game.
Andy Davies (@andydaviesref) is a former Select Group referee, with over 12 seasons on the elite list, working across the Premier League and Championship. With extensive experience at the elite level, he has operated within the VAR space in the Premier League and offers a unique insight into the processes, rationale and protocols that are delivered on a Premier League matchday.
Sunderland 0-0 Manchester United
Referee: Stuart Attwell
VAR: Peter Bankes
Time: 88th minute
Incident: Possible red card for violent conduct.
Bruno Fernandes wanted a red 🟥
Nilson Angulo caught him in the face but VAR mentioned there was no violent conduct at play 🙅 pic.twitter.com/oedzNcvTVO
— Match of the Day (@BBCMOTD) May 9, 2026
What happened: Sunderland’s Nilson Angulo was late with a challenge on Man United’s Bruno Fernandes, seemingly catching the United captain’s face with his forearm. Attwell gave nothing on field, leaving Fenandes fuming.
VAR review: VAR was comfortable that the challenge by Angulo did not meet the criteria for a red card offense and cleared the non action by Attwell as a correct decision.
Verdict: In my opinion, this was a reckless arm by Angulo and not an act of violent conduct. Angulo was certainly reckless with the use of his arm, and fortunate the contact with Fernandes was negligible.
For this type of act to be considered a red card, the referee and the VAR are looking for an arm that is used with a level of force, a swinging action that results in contact or contact that meets the criteria of violent or brutality. Having mentioned this, I’m surprised that Attwell didn’t recognize the reckless action by Angulo because a yellow card was certainly warranted and I’d expected for this to have been caught on field.
