Former Premier League official claims referees don't like the handball rule after it hits the headlines at Kenilworth Road

Former Premier League official Dermot Gallagher believes referees want the handball rule to be changed after it hits the headlines for the wrong reasons once more during Luton’s 3-1 defeat against Sheffield United on Saturday.

Late in the first half and with the Hatters trailing 1-0, they conceded a spot-kick when Vini Souza’s header hit the raised arm of Reece Burke inside the area, the loose ball collected by goalkeeper Thomas Kaminski, with no Blades attackers appealing for an offence against Town's recalled centre half. Referee Chris Kavanagh didn't deem there to be anything wrong either, but was soon instructed by VAR to watch the incident again, and having done so, awarding the visitors a penalty which was tucked away by James McAtee.

Discussing the incident on Sky Sports' Ref Watch, Gallagher, who took 260 top flight matches in his career, said: “It's one of the criteria to look at, is the arm extended out? Is the arm above the shoulder? They're two of the big things as you’re making your body bigger. Ball’s headed back, strikes him on the arm, arm's above his head, with the law as it is, to a certain extent, I can understand that one. Referees don't like it but it's not the referee's choice. Arm is above the shoulder and it definitely strikes him, I don’t know what he can do, but that's the rule.

"There's a number of things. Is his arm extended? Yes. Is his arm above his shoulder? Yes. Is the ball goal-bound? Yes. Its ticked a lot of boxes. It doesn't have to tick them all to be a penalty. I make it clear - I don't like the rule. Referees don't like the rule. But the rule is a rule."

On just why VAR got involved in Stockley Park despite Kavanagh having not seen any problem in the first instance, Gallagher continued: “The problem is, it got spotted and you can’t un-spot it. You can’t unsee it. The VAR saw it and has to give the penalty. We’re stuck with it until they change it.”

Former Liverpool and Blackburn Rovers defender Stephen Warnock was critical of the ruling that gave Kavanagh little choice but to award the penalty, saying: “We don’t like it, it’s wrong, but by the letter of the law, if you put your hand up, Dermot says it’s a penalty, but again, common sense has to prevail. What can Reece Burke do in that position? It’s just bizarre. He’s not going to put his arm up for the sake of it, your arms are used for momentum, to get you up in a position, for balance. If you take your arms off, you can’t do much, you cannot jump in a certain way, you can’t be physical in the box. It’s a contact sport, we need to use our arms and it's not deliberate.”

With Town 2-0 behind, they were then the beneficiaries of a highly contentious decision in the second period, when Souza was involved inside his own area this time, a header from Elijah Adebayo brushing against his knuckles as he jumped to clear. Again, it wasn't picked up by Kavanagh, who only gave it on second viewing, although Gallagher had thought he was going to stick with his original call, adding: “I think this one is really, really harsh.

"The first one I can understand why it's given, but this one I look and look and look and I just don't see it. What you would say is, is it a clear and obvious error? I don't know. The VAR says its struck his arm, he decides to send him to the screen. The referee still has a choice to say no. but the referee went with the VAR. I actually thought when he went across to the screen, he would say no, I really did. But whether he felt that he'd given the first one, so he’s got to give the second one because of consistency, but it wouldn’t have surprised me if he said no.”