Former Premier League referee Dermot Gallagher has explained why the match officials made the correct decision to overturn Sunderland’s penalty during their 2–0 defeat to Manchester United at Old Trafford last weekend.

Sunderland’s unbeaten league run came to an end on Saturday as goals from Mason Mount and Benjamin Šeško sealed victory for United, leaving Regis Le Bris’ side frustrated heading into the international break.

The visitors thought they had been handed a lifeline midway through the game when referee Stuart Attwell awarded them a penalty. The decision came after assistant referee flagged a foul by Šeško on Trai Hume, believing the striker’s raised boot had caught the Sunderland defender in the face.

However, after a VAR review, Attwell was advised to check the incident on the pitchside monitor. The referee then overturned his original call, ruling that no foul had been committed and cancelling the penalty.

Speaking on Sky Sports’ Ref Watch on Monday, Gallagher backed the officials’ final decision, explaining that the footage clearly showed no contact between Šeško’s boot and Hume.

“The assistant thought he’d been caught by the boot, but in reality, it’s the ball that strikes him in the face, not Šeško’s foot,” Gallagher said. “Once Stuart Attwell went to the monitor and saw that for himself, he came back and made the correct call — no penalty.”

Gallagher also clarified the process behind the review: “Because the on-field decision was to give a penalty, VAR had to intervene. The referee had to pause play to review it, and once he saw the replays, it was clear the original call was wrong.”

In the end, Sunderland were denied a chance to pull one back from the spot, and United went on to see out a comfortable victory. While the decision may have frustrated the visitors, Gallagher insists it was a textbook example of VAR being used correctly to ensure the right outcome.