Sports
VAR review: Should Man United have had a penalty vs. Brighton?
Video Assistant Referee causes controversy every week in the Premier League, but how are decisions made and are they correct?
This season, we take a look at the major incidents, to examine and explain the process both in terms of VAR protocol and the Laws of the Game.
Andy Davies is a former Select Group referee, with over 12 seasons on the elite list, working across the Premier League and Championship. With extensive experience at the elite level, he has operated within the VAR space on Premier League and offers a unique insight into the processes, rationale and protocols that are delivered on a Premier League matchday. @andydaviesref
Referee: Anthony Taylor
VAR: Michael Oliver
Incident: Penalty appeal for Manchester United
Time: 15th minute
What happened: Amad Diallo ran into the Brighton area, drawing Maxim De Cuyper into making a challenge. As Diallo cut back inside the defender, De Cuyper flicked out his right leg to seemingly trip the Manchester United attacker. Referee Taylor was unmoved by the appeals and allowed play to continue.
VAR Decision: Having viewed the incident, the VAR checked and completed the non-penalty award. Oliver cited that De Cuyper had touched the ball while challenging and agreed with the on-field decision of no penalty.
VAR Review: “Clear and obvious” errors are the benchmark for a VAR intervention and Oliver, having viewed the various angles, would have felt this event did not meet the criteria required. Oliver communicated in his review process that he was happy that De Cuyper made a touch on the ball while putting in the challenge and was therefore comfortable with the original on-field decision.
#MUNBHA – 15′
The referee’s call of no penalty to Manchester United was checked and confirmed by VAR – with it deemed that De Cuyper played the ball.
— Premier League Match Centre (@PLMatchCentre) October 25, 2025
Verdict: An interesting situation and another penalty decision where a “touch on the ball” seems to have been a key factor as to whether an adjudged foul has been committed or not. Manchester United vs. Chelsea (Robert Sánchez), Newcastle vs. Arsenal (Nick Pope), and Fulham vs. Arsenal (Kevin) are three other incidents like this that have occurred in recent weeks.
A touch on the ball should not always negate that a foul challenge has been committed and, though I agree with all three of these previous decisions given their circumstances and individual context, I believe Taylor was incorrect on this occasion and should have awarded a penalty.
This was not a challenge for the ball by De Cuyper, it was a lazy attempt to trip his opponent; any touch on the ball was minimal and consequential of his careless action, as opposed to a measured challenge.
However, once Taylor chose not to award the penalty, the decision should not have instigated an on-field review by VAR as it was not a “clear and obvious” error. The decision was subjective and live communication from Taylor would have matched the pictures in the VAR hub.
1:53
Moreno: Man United have developed an aura of confidence
Alejandro Moreno reacts to Manchester United’s 4-2 win vs. Brighton in the Premier League.
Incident: Possible foul by Luke Shaw on Georginio Rutter.
Time: 61st minute
What happened: Bryan Mbeumo scored United’s third goal after Brighton lost possession in the center of the pitch. But Brighton felt aggrieved that there had been a holding offence committed on Rutter by Shaw in the buildup to the goal. Referee Taylor had a good view of the incident and didn’t feel it met his threshold for a holding offence against the criteria set by him or the Premier League match officials.
VAR Decision: As with all goals, VAR checks all phases of play leading to a goal being scored, checking for any infringements clearly missed by the match officials in real time. The contact by Shaw on Rutter was certainly reviewed and it was felt that the on-field decision to allow play to continue was the correct outcome given the hold was minimal, not sustained and did not directly impact Rutter’s ability to continue to play.
VAR Review: Communication from the referee in real time would have created the framework for this VAR check for a possible foul. Taylor had a great view and his communication would have explained that he had seen a hold by Shaw, however it was not sustained enough or impactful on Rutter’s ability to play and he was comfortable no offence had been committed.
For VAR to intervene in this type of event, they would need to have seen clear evidence that Taylor’s reading of the incident was not factual against the pictures presented.
Verdict: Despite Brighton’s frustrations, this was a good decision in real time by Taylor and an equally a positive non-intervention by Oliver.
To penalize a player for a holding offence in this key area of the field of play, the refereeing team are looking for the action to meet one of the following criteria for it to be deemed a foul: is the hold sustained, impactful or extreme?
In this event there was a minimal, fleeting hold by Shaw that had very little impact on Rutter’s ability to continue with play. It was, in fact, Rutter’s decision to stop, as he was expecting a free kick to be awarded.
It is so important to watch these types of situations in “real time.” A still picture will show the holding to a point where you would question how can this not be a holding offence? However, in real time, you can clearly see the level of holding by Shaw was minimal and, in my opinion, just “normal football contact.” Indeed, this would have been the wording used by both Taylor and Oliver to conclude the incident.
Sports
Panthers stars Bryce Young, Rico Dowdle share optimism after making playoffs: ‘A starting point in Carolina’
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
SAN FRANCISCO – It was not that long ago that the Carolina Panthers were at the bottom of the barrel.
The Panthers went 2-15 in Bryce Young‘s rookie season after selecting him first overall. The following year, the win total improved to five, but Young also spent some time on the bench, leaving plenty of question marks.
This season, they responded by winning the division and narrowly reaching the divisional round as double-digit underdogs.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM
Bryce Young hands off to Rico Dowdle of the Carolina Panthers during the first quarter against the Seattle Seahawks at Bank of America Stadium on Dec. 28, 2025 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)
Young set career highs with 23 touchdowns and 3,011 passing yards and was also sacked 27 times, the lowest mark of his career. The improvements have been clear, and perhaps his 2025 season was a stepping stone to living up to the No. 1 pick hype.
“The more experience you get, the more times I have around my guys, I always lean on them, so I’m extremely excited for the future,” the Alabama alum told Fox News Digital on Radio Row in San Francisco.
Running back Rico Dowdle was a newcomer this year, filling the void quite nicely after Chuba Hubbard missed some time. After leaving the star-studded Dallas Cowboys, it was fair for him to wonder if he made the right choice.
Bryce Young of the Carolina Panthers is seen before playing the Seattle Seahawks at Bank of America Stadium on Dec. 28, 2025 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)
PATRIOTS’ STEFON DIGGS ANSWERS CARDI B PROPOSAL QUESTION AHEAD OF SUPER BOWL LX
He seemed rather confident he did.
“It’s always fun doing what you love to do. We didn’t get to the end goal that we set out to do from the beginning, so that wasn’t fun. But it was good. We had some ups and downs throughout the season, had our moments as a team, and this year was a starting point in Carolina, for sure,” Dowdle said.
Carolina Panthers running back Rico Dowdle celebrates after scoring against the Miami Dolphins during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Oct. 5, 2025, in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Jacob Kupferman/AP Photo)
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Carolina had a late 31-27 lead over the Los Angeles Rams last month in the wild-card round, but the Rams scored with 38 seconds left to end the Panthers’ Cinderella ride.
But the glass slipper has been broken, and the Panthers have more shoes to fill.
Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
Sports
Patriots’ Drake Maye shrugs off shoulder injury concerns ahead of Super Bowl LX: ‘I’ll be just fine’
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
There is some concern for New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye heading into Super Bowl LX, but the second-year signal caller isn’t worried about his injury designation.
Maye came into the week in Santa Clara with a shoulder ailment, though he and his coaching staff downplayed the severity of it before the big game.
“I feel good. I’ll be just fine,” Maye said on Super Bowl opening night, via NFL.com. “I threw a good bit. I threw as much as I would at a normal practice. I felt great and looking forward to getting back out there Wednesday and Thursday for practice and Friday to get ready for a normal week of prep.”
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM
New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye (10) speaks to the media during Opening Night for Super Bowl LX at San Jose Convention Center on Feb. 2, 2026. (Kyle Terada/Imagn Images)
Maye was officially listed as questionable on the Patriots’ bye week before heading out west. He also dealt with an illness. But he said he has “turned a corner” since landing in San Francisco on Sunday.
PATRIOTS’ DRAKE MAYE RANKS WIFE’S VIRAL TIKTOK BAKING RECIPES AHEAD OF SUPER BOWL LX
“I felt good from the flight and throwing out there today. I think it turned the corner, and I really had no doubt being 100% for the game, this is the Super Bowl,” he said. “We get two weeks to prepare for it and do whatever we got to do to get it right. I’ve got confidence and feel good.”
There’s no doubt Maye, an MVP candidate this year, is going to be doing everything possible to be 100% for Sunday’s matchup at Levi’s Stadium.
New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye (10) reacts after the New England Patriots defeat the Denver Broncos in the 2026 AFC Championship Game at Empower Field at Mile High in Denver, Colorado. Jan. 25, 2026. (Ron Chenoy/Imagn Images)
Maye heads into this contest as the potential youngest starting quarterback to ever win the Super Bowl. Dan Marino is the youngest quarterback to play in the game all-time, beating out Maye by 49 days, but he was unable to win in 1984.
Head coach Mike Vrabel trusts his second-year quarterback to get the job done despite some struggles at times in these playoffs.
Vrabel said that he liked how the ball was coming out of Maye’s hand during practices to this point.
New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye (10) warms up prior to the AFC Championship NFL football game against the Denver Broncos, Sunday, Jan. 25, 2026, in Denver. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
“I thought that the ball came out good. I thought it was a crisp practice for Drake and for everybody else,” he said.
Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
The Memphis Grizzlies have traded away one of their cornerstone pieces in a blockbuster move before the Feb. 5 trade deadline.
Jaren Jackson Jr., who the Grizzlies took fourth overall in the 2018 NBA Draft, headlined a trade package to the Utah Jazz that also included John Konchar, Jock Landale and Vince Williams Jr., ESPN reported.
The Jazz are sending back Walter Clayton Jr., Kyle Anderson, Taylor Hendricks, Georges Niang and three future first-round picks.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM
Memphis Grizzlies power forward Jaren Jackson Jr. (8) shoots a three-point shot in the second quarter against the Charlotte Hornets at FedExForum on Jan. 28, 2026. (Matthew Smith/Imagn Images)
Utah is making a major change with this move, adding Jackson to a team that includes Lauri Markkanen, Keyonte George and Walker Kessler, among others.
Meanwhile, the Grizzlies are showcasing their wish to rebuild, as they are stocked with first-round picks and have a good, young core to build around as well.
NBA HANDS 76ERS’ PAUL GEORGE 25-GAME SUSPENSION FOR DRUG POLICY VIOLATION
The Grizzlies have a whopping 13 first-round picks over the next seven seasons, which is tied with the Brooklyn Nets and Oklahoma City Thunder.
Memphis also made NBA history, creating the largest-ever trade exception worth $28.8 million with this deal. It’s the type of refresh the 19-29 Grizzlies need.
Memphis Grizzlies forward Jaren Jackson Jr. (8) runs with the ball during an NBA basketball game between Orlando Magic and Memphis Grizzlies in Berlin, Germany, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)
The Jazz have fared worse this season, owning a brutal 15-35 record after losing their sixth straight game on Sunday night.
Jackson was one of the best players in the NBA Draft coming out of Michigan State in 2018, and the Grizzlies added the 6-foot-10 forward/center to be versatile for their team long-term.
He’s done exactly that, earning two All-Star nods while averaging 18.5 points, 5.6 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.9 blocks per game over 452 career games in Memphis.
Jackson is one of the best defenders in the NBA, winning Defensive Player of the Year during the 2022-23 NBA season, while finishing second-team All-Defense last season.
Jaren Jackson Jr. of the Memphis Grizzlies reacts in the first half against the Houston Rockets at Toyota Center on Jan. 26, 2026 in Houston, Texas. (Tim Warner/Getty Images)
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Jackson is today’s modern big man, having the ability to shoot from the perimeter as well as near the rim. He has averaged 35.9% from three-point territory and 47.5% from the field this season, while pouring in an average 19.2 points per night.
Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
Panthers stars Bryce Young, Rico Dowdle share optimism after making playoffs: ‘A starting point in Carolina’
Reba McEntire’s fiancé Rex Linn values ‘work’ more
Patriots’ Drake Maye shrugs off shoulder injury concerns ahead of Super Bowl LX: ‘I’ll be just fine’
-
Sports1 week agoPSL 11: Local players’ category renewals unveiled ahead of auction
-
Sports1 week agoCollege football’s top 100 games of the 2025 season
-
Entertainment1 week agoClaire Danes reveals how she reacted to pregnancy at 44
-
Business1 week agoBanking services disrupted as bank employees go on nationwide strike demanding five-day work week
-
Politics1 week agoTrump vows to ‘de-escalate’ after Minneapolis shootings
-
Sports7 days agoTammy Abraham joins Aston Villa 1 day after Besiktas transfer
-
Tech1 week agoBrighten Your Darkest Time (of Year) With This Smart Home Upgrade
-
Entertainment7 days agoK-Pop star Rosé to appear in special podcast before Grammy’s