Manchester United were left furious after being refused a penalty against Fulham, even though the ball appeared to strike Calvin Bassey’s hand.
Replays showed clear contact in the 86th minute of Sunday’s 1-1 draw, when Lisandro Martinez flicked the ball towards the Fulham defender.
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At that stage, United were trailing by a goal and desperately searching for an equaliser.
However, referee Peter Bankes allowed play to continue, with the other match officials supporting his decision.
The Premier League has since provided a detailed explanation of the incident through a statement published on its Match Centre account on X.
Why is this not a penalty for #mufc? Basset clearly handles the ball with his arms in an unnatural position pic.twitter.com/kl0lLO8KX1
— Someone’s Son 💎🇬🇭 (@bigfredtweets) September 20, 2026
A transcript of the discussion involving Bankes, assistant referee Dan Cook and VAR Nick Hopton was also released.
The statement read: “The referee’s call of no penalty to Manchester United for a potential handball offence by Bassey was checked and confirmed by VAR.”
Following the handball incident, Assistant Referee 1, Cook, told his colleagues: “It’s close to his body – it has hit but his arm is close to his body.”
Bankes responded: “On-field decision is play on.”
VAR official Hopton then added: “Arms close to his body. As seen – confirming the on-field decision to play on, exactly as described on-field.”
United looked set for a disappointing afternoon after Martinez turned the ball into his own net in a comical moment shortly after the hour mark, with goalkeeper Senne Lammens also appearing at fault.
Frustration among the home supporters intensified when the appeal for a penalty following Bassey’s handball was dismissed.
Nevertheless, the Red Devils managed to take something from the contest when Matheus Cunha’s 89th-minute strike took a deflection off David Affengruber and found the net.
Carrick has come under intense scrutiny, with former United team-mate Gary Neville among those criticising the team’s lack of urgency throughout the match.
Despite the criticism, the United manager maintained that he was satisfied with his players’ commitment, as the upcoming international break offers him an important chance to regroup with his squad.
Carrick said: “I didn’t think we looked passive. Football is a difficult game.
“We controlled a lot of the first half and played a lot of good football today.
“There are going to be spells when you don’t have it go your own way.”
