Richard Keys blasts VAR over unseen incident in Man Utd vs West Ham

Richard Keys has slammed VAR for an unseen incident that occurred during Manchester United's win against West Ham on Sunday.

United brushed West Ham aside with a 3-0 win at Old Trafford, a victory much more straightforward than their dramatic 4-3 win at Wolves on Thursday.

Rasmus Hojlund put the hosts ahead with a superbly taken strike midway through the first half, before Alejandro Garnacho bagged a second half brace to secure the three points.

Erik ten Hag's side were the deserved winners, although the Hammers might feel slightly aggrieved that they were not awarded a first half penalty.

With the score still goalless after around 10 minutes, United star Casemiro appeared to hold West Ham midfielder Edson Alvarez at a corner.

TV footage showed the Brazilian with his hands around his opponent's neck, but there was no intervention from the VAR and play continued.

Around 10 minutes later Hojlund put United ahead and the game got away from David Moyes' side.

Taking to X - formerly Twitter - broadcaster Keys shared his bewilderment about the non-penalty decision.

"I can’t post moving pics so this will have to do," he said. "How is this not a pen? Casemiro has got Alvarez round the neck. What is VAR for if not to see things like this? He stops him getting the ball."

I can’t post moving pics so this will have to do. How is this not a pen? Casemiro has got Alvarez round the neck. What is VAR for if not to see things like this? He stops him getting the ball. pic.twitter.com/K0oOO4DjnQ

— Richard Keys (@richardajkeys) February 4, 2024

The win extended United's unbeaten run in 2024 to five games, and saw them leapfrog West Ham in the Premier League table to move into sixth place.

West Ham are now without a win in six games in all competitions, having recently dropped points to strugglers Sheffield United and suffered FA Cup elimination at the hands of Championship side Bristol City.

Though it was a succesful afternoon for United, it came at a cost. Defender Lisandro Martinez limped off the field midway through the second half after appearing to injure his knee in a tangle with Vladimir Coufal.

It was only the Argentine's fourth outing since returning from a long-term foot injury.

After the game, Ten Hag said of Martinez's latest injury: "It seems bad. We have to wait, make the right diagnosis in the coming days and then we will see. Hopefully it is not too bad, we can only pray."