Ruben Amorim’s first match in charge of Manchester United was bizarrely stopped after a fire alarm went off in Stockley Park.
At Stockley Park, the Premier League’s video assistant referees make remote VAR decisions and communicate with the on-pitch referees during every match.
The fire alarm, which went off in the 37th minute with United Ipswich leading 1-0 at Portman Road, caused the match to be temporarily halted.
Captains Bruno Fernandes and Sam Morsy were called to the middle by match referee Anthony Taylor, who explained the situation before deciding to continue without the use of VAR.
Moments later, Ipswich winger Omari Hutchinson leveled the scoreboard with a stunning goal in the 43rd minute.
Ruben Amorim’s first Man United match was abandoned after a fire alarm went off at Stockley Park
The Portuguese manager’s side were leading 1-0 before VAR went down during the match
The home team equalized in six minutes without VAR and went into halftime 1-1
Manchester United’s new boss can have no complaints about the brilliant equalizer, at least as far as VAR is concerned, as there was no controversial issue for the video technology to review had it worked.
Referees PGMOL will have breathed a sigh of relief at the straightforward nature of Hutchinson’s goal, having already been at the center of several controversial cases this campaign.
VAR was active again after Hutchinson’s celebration, meaning the two teams headed 1-1 at halftime.
More to follow.