Erik ten Hag expressed his frustration over what he deemed an injustice against Manchester United after a contentious stoppage-time penalty led to their defeat against West Ham.

Casemiro seemed to have salvaged a point for United with an equalizer in the 81st minute, following Crysencio Summerville’s goal that had put the Hammers ahead.

However, Ten Hag and his team were incensed when referee David Coote awarded a penalty to West Ham after a lengthy VAR review. Matthijs de Ligt was ruled to have fouled Danny Ings in the box, but the defender contended that Ings had handled the ball earlier in the play. Initially, Coote did not call a foul but later changed his mind after reviewing the footage.

“Clear and obvious” is not how VAR operated; they disrupted their own process. This season, we’ve felt injustice three times.

“Before the season started, they explained how VAR should work, stating that intervention should only occur when it’s clear and obvious.

“They failed to intervene in the case against Spurs when Bruno [Fernandes] received a red card, even though they should have.

“Now, they’ve made the wrong call by intervening, and both situations significantly impacted the games.”

The Premier League stated that VAR official Michael Oliver determined there was significant contact on Ings’ lower leg, which led him to recommend an on-field review.

Ten Hag was questioned about whether the fact that a senior referee called for the review influenced Coote’s decision to change his initial ruling.