VAR Review: Did Manchester United Deserve the Red Card Advantage Against Sunderland?

VAR was right back in the spotlight during Manchester United’s match against Sunderland, thanks to a controversial red-card call that completely shifted the game.

Let’s be honest—VAR causes drama just about every week. Premier League, Champions League, FA Cup, it doesn’t matter. The big question is always the same: Are these decisions actually correct?

So this season, we’re breaking down the major incidents. Explaining the process. Looking at both VAR protocol and the actual Laws of the Game.

What happened: Sunderland’s Nilson Angulo was late on Bruno Fernandes. He seemed to catch United’s captain in the face with his forearm. Referee Attwell gave nothing on the field. Fernandes was absolutely fuming.

VAR review: The VAR was fine with it. Decided Angulo’s challenge didn’t meet the standard for a red card. Cleared Attwell’s non-call as correct.

My verdict: Honestly? This was a reckless arm from Angulo. Not violent conduct, but definitely reckless. He got lucky—the contact with Fernandes was pretty minor.

Here’s the thing: for this to be a red, the ref and VAR are looking for real force. A swinging arm. Contact that crosses into violent or brutal territory. That wasn’t quite the case.

But I’ll say this—I’m surprised Attwell didn’t spot the recklessness. A yellow card absolutely made sense here. I would’ve expected that to be caught on the field.