Premier League DROP referee after Man Utd controversy and Howard Webb intervention

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The referee who awarded a contentious goal to Manchester United last weekend, despite an apparent handball, has been left out of the final round of Premier League fixtures this Sunday. Michael Salisbury allowed Matheus Cunha's goal for United – their second in a 3-2 victory over Nottingham Forest last Sunday – to stand, despite Bryan Mbeumo handling the ball in the build-up.

Salisbury was advised by VAR to review the incident on the pitchside monitor, but maintained his original decision that the goal should stand .

Howard Webb, the chief refereeing officer at Professional Game Match Officials (PGMO), is understood to have reached out to Forest following the match to acknowledge that a different decision should have been made.

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Referees in the English professional game take a more lenient stance on handball, while remaining within the laws of the game, compared to other nations, based on PGMO's ongoing dialogue with players, clubs, managers, supporters and the media.

However, in this particular case, PGMO felt that football would have expected the on-field decision to be reversed upon review.

Salisbury has been far from a regular fixture in the Premier League this season, regardless, having officiated just 13 league matches – considerably fewer than Michael Oliver, for example, who has taken charge of 28 so far and has been appointed to oversee the crucial clash between Tottenham and Everton on Sunday.

Sky has upgraded its Ultimate TV and Sky Sports bundle to now include HBO Max, Netflix, Disney+, discovery+ and Hayu, as well as 135 channels and full Sky coverage of the Premier League and EFL.

Fellow World Cup referee Anthony Taylor has been handed the other high-stakes relegation battle between West Ham and Leeds. Farai Hallam, one of English football's most promising refereeing talents, has been appointed to oversee the clash between Crystal Palace and newly crowned Premier League champions Arsenal at Selhurst Park.

Meanwhile, James Bell has been handed the VAR role for the Fulham v Newcastle fixture, despite coming under fire for failing to recommend a review of a challenge by Arsenal's Kai Havertz on Burnley's Lesley Ugochukwu during Monday night's Premier League encounter at the Emirates Stadium.

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Paul Tierney showed the German a yellow card on the pitch, yet replays made it abundantly clear that Havertz had caught the Burnley midfielder on the calf with his studs. Nevertheless, Bell reviewed the incident and upheld the referee's decision, rather than flagging it for a potential red card.

Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville branded the challenge from Havertz as "vicious", adding: "He is miles away from the ball. I don't like that. The height of it and the fact it is on the standing leg."

When VAR chose not to advise a review, Neville remarked: "He (Havertz) is a lucky boy."