Hackett accuses VAR of staying 'low key' to deny Leeds a penalty against Maguire

Leeds United were denied what former referee assessor Keith Hackett believes was a clear penalty during Sunday’s 1-1 draw with Manchester United at Elland Road, with Hackett claiming VAR deliberately avoided intervening to stay out of the spotlight.

The incident centred on a second-half tangle between Ethan Ampadu and Harry Maguire inside the United box. Referee Darren England waved play on, and VAR upheld the decision — but Hackett, the former Professional Game Match Officials Board chief, was unconvinced.

“Maguire has committed a foul challenge and England should have penalised it with a penalty kick,” Hackett told MOT Leeds News. “VAR, in an attempt to stay low key, decides not to come in, but he should have done to allow England the opportunity to have a replay of the incident at the monitor.”

Hackett went further, arguing that England’s workload across the weekend had affected his performance. England had been on VAR duty for Liverpool’s win over Brentford the previous day — a match in which Keith Andrews’ side finished with nine men following two red cards. Hackett suggested England should have booked Ampadu for a first-half challenge on Bryan Mbeumo and attributed the oversight to fatigue.

“Perhaps because he was close he was unable to determine the speed of the challenge accurately,” Hackett said. “A busy weekend and in my opinion should only receive one appointment in order to fully recover. It’s the mental exhaustion.”

Not everyone agreed with Hackett’s reading of the penalty incident. On Ref Watch, former Premier League referee Dermot Gallagher offered a different interpretation: “They tangle up together. The No5 for Leeds also grabs Maguire so he brings him back to bring his teammate down. All in all, play on.”

Manchester United manager Michael Carrick was satisfied with the point despite the controversy, praising his side’s mentality ahead of the fixture. “I spoke to them this morning about the history of this game and what it means to the supporters and to the football club,” Carrick said. “We spoke about what it takes to come to their territory and to get a result. It tests you if you come here and you aren’t quite there.”

The draw leaves both clubs with work to do, though the refereeing debate is likely to dominate the post-match discussion — particularly Hackett’s pointed suggestion that VAR is prioritising its own profile over correct decisions.