Former Premier League referee Keith Hackett says Sunderland should have been awarded a penalty at Old Trafford despite Mike Dean insisting the VAR made the right call.

Former Premier League referee Keith Hackett has hit back at Mike Dean’s explanation of the controversial penalty incident during Sunderland’s 2–0 defeat to Manchester United, insisting that Stuart Attwell’s original decision to award a spot-kick was correct.

Hackett, speaking to Mackem News, argued that VAR should not have intervened and that the on-field referee’s interpretation of the laws was sound. “Just listened to Mike Dean’s explanation. There does not have to be contact for a foul to be awarded. A high boot close to the head of his opponent is reckless,” Hackett said.

“The laws of the game state that for a reckless challenge, you sanction with a yellow card. That is the interpretation of referee Attwell. The decision by the referee is not a clear and obvious error. Therefore, VAR should not have intervened. The penalty kick and yellow card should have been the sanction issued.”

The flashpoint came late in the first half at Old Trafford when Sunderland were awarded a penalty after Trai Hume went down inside the box under pressure from Manchester United striker Benjamin Šeško. Referee Stuart Attwell initially pointed to the spot but reversed his decision following a lengthy VAR review, eventually awarding a corner.

Explaining the process on Sky Sports’ Soccer Saturday, Mike Dean defended the use of VAR and said the correct call was ultimately made: “The pictures me and Tim [Sherwood] were seeing, unfortunately, looked like it wasn’t given on field and was sent to VAR. I did a bit of digging at half-time, and the referee actually gave the decision on field, so for me, he’s got that wrong.

“I had a bit of a go at Neil Davies, the VAR, saying he shouldn’t have got involved, but he was right to get involved as it was the wrong call by the referee. Neil got it right, sent him to the screen, it was overturned, and the correct decision was made.”

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The Premier League later confirmed in its official match report that Šeško did not make contact with Hume’s head, describing the incident as “not a foul”. However, Hackett’s comments reignite the debate over what constitutes “clear and obvious” in VAR protocol – particularly when a referee has already made a decision based on perceived recklessness rather than contact.

Sunderland went close from the resulting corner, with Dan Ballard heading wide from close range. Régis Le Bris’ side ultimately fell to their second defeat of the season. The Black Cats now head into a two-week international break but will play Premier League strugglers Wolves when the season begins again. The Wearsiders under Le Bris sit in the top half of the top-flight table with 11 points from their opening seven games.

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