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Former Premier League referee Keith Hackett has insisted that Manchester United were fortunate not to concede a late penalty in Saturday's 2-2 draw with Nottingham Forest. Ruben Amorim's men extended their unbeaten run after coming from behind to leave the City Ground with a point. After Casemiro put them ahead in the first-half, Forest went ahead through Morgan Gibbs-White and Nicolo Savona before Amad's strike in the 81st minute levelled the scoring. With the score still 2-1 and United pushing for a equaliser, Forest fans were left fuming when referee Darren England decided against awarding them a penalty . Ryan Yates' flick-on from a corner accidently hit Amad's arm after he mistimed his jump to head away. Despite protests from supporters and players, England opted not to point to the spot and United eventually equalised. The Premier League Match Centre account on X did not explain why the video assistant referee (VAR) decided not to intervene. However, Hackett has insisted the decision was wrong, labelling the incident a "clear handball offence" in a post on X. It was the second controversial call that went against Forest after Sean Dyche was left furious with the way United's first goal occurred. The Forest boss was left angry that a corner was given in the build-up to Casemiro's opener. Savona looked to have kept the ball in play but the assistant on the far side flagged for a corner. “I just can’t understand it, you’re an assistant referee and 70-odd yards away, you’ve got a goal and a net in the way, but apparently you can see,” Dyche said. “I’ve got a better view and I’m not in the right position. That’s got to be wrong in the current climate. I’m a big fan of VAR. Someone has got to be able to overrule these decisions, just really quickly, [it would take] only five seconds. “For me, that’s five seconds of VAR: ‘Bang, that’s it, done, wrong decision.’ It is really, really frustrating two weeks on the trot. With all the technology and all that’s at stake, particularly for us at Nottingham Forest after the start the club has had, that’s a big moment. “We all want it right, every fan wants it right. The worst thing, I’m back in the game for three games and for two weeks on the trot I’m talking about refereeing decisions. I want to be talking about my team.” Here at The Manchester Evening News, we are dedicated to bringing you the best Manchester United coverage and analysis. Make sure you don't miss out on the latest United news by joining our free WhatsApp group. You can get all the breaking news and best analysis sent straight to your phone by clicking here to subscribe. You can also subscribe to our free newsletter service. Click here to be sent all the day's biggest stories. And, finally, if you would rather listen to our expert analysis then make sure to check out our Manchester is Red podcast. Our shows are available on all podcast platforms, including Spotify and Apple Podcasts , and you can also watch along on YouTube .
