Former Premier League referee Mark Clattenburg couldn’t believe what he saw as Manchester United beat Brighton at Old Trafford.
The Red Devils came out on top in a six-goal thriller at Old Trafford, with Manchester United beating Brighton 4-2 to secure a third consecutive victory in the Premier League.
Bryan Mbeumo scored twice to continue his incredible start in Manchester, while fellow summer signing Matheus Cunha was named the Player of the Match after he found the back of the net for the first time this season.
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Ruben Amorim was delighted with the display, with United now moving up to fourth in the Premier League table.
But before the goals started flowing at Old Trafford, fans were irate at one moment of refereeing controversy.
Amad Diallo penalty incident in Manchester United vs Brighton.
Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images
Mark Clattenburg’s verdict on Amad Diallo penalty claim
Just minutes before Cunha’s opening goal against Brighton, Amad Diallo went down in the penalty box following a challenge from Maxim De Cuyper.
Despite clear contact between the players, referee Anthony Taylor waved play on and VAR refused to intervene and award a spot kick.
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Should Amad Diallo have been awarded a penalty vs Brighton?
United in Focus spoke exclusively to Mark Clattenburg about the incident, and the ex-official believes it was a mistake.
“I am still not sure how Anthony Taylor or the VAR failed to spot a clear foul by Maxim De Cuyper on Amad Diallo.
“It was a clear trip inside the penalty area and a penalty kick should have been awarded. This was a clear error from the referee and the VAR should have recommended a review.”
Premier League issue statement on Man United penalty decision
The challenge on Amad appeared to be a stonewall foul, and yet play continued without VAR even intervening.
Shortly after the incident, the Premier League released an official statement on how the decision was made by the refereeing team.
#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
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READ MORE: Three biggest moments from Man Utd vs Brighton as Bryan Mbeumo scores brace
The statement argues that “De Cuyper played the ball”, but replays show that the impact is minimal if anything at all. The main contact comes with Amad being tripped and obstructed from play.
Amorim tends to remain quiet on refereeing controversies, and thankfully, his players weren’t impacted too much by the incident as Cunha and Casemiro found the back of the net just minutes later.