Wednesday night’s Manchester derby ended with Manchester City victorious, and the decisive goal nearly did not count at all. VAR intervened to restore it, but now the refereeing body says that decision was incorrect.
Pro Ref, the Premier League refereeing body, has said there was an “error of judgement” in allowing Erling Haaland’s 60th-minute strike to stand. The goal came after City went down to 10 men when Phil Foden was sent off for a foul on Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes.
How The Goal Was Almost Disallowed
Haaland scored by turning home at the back post from Josko Gvardiol’s cross. The lines drawn by the VAR showed Haaland to be onside thanks to Patrick Dorgu’s boot. But the positioning of Enzo Fernandez, who was diving at the ball in a more central position than Haaland, raised questions about whether he was interfering with play.
The ruling against the goal came for the wrong reason at first. Haaland was called offside, even though the lines clearly showed he was in a legal position. The call on the field went against him despite the evidence to the contrary.
What VAR Got Wrong
Pro Ref argues that the VAR failed to account for how Fernandez’s position would likely affect the outcome of the match and should have suggested a review by the officials on the field instead. The goal was given because Fernandez did not play the ball.
According to the rules, a player is considered offside when they are “clearly attempting to play a ball which is close when this action impacts on an opponent.”, provided both conditions apply at the same time. Even so, a player who is caught in an offside position may still try to play the ball without breaking the rules, so long as their action does not affect an opponent.
Fernandez threw himself to try to head the ball, with Martinez directly behind him. Video assistant referee Matt Donohue should have asked himself if Fernandez’s action would have influenced Martinez’s decision over playing the ball.
The Decision That Had To Be Overturned
The original ruling against Haaland was offside, and it was wrong. The call needed to be changed. However, the VAR then failed to send referee Michael Oliver to the monitor for the subjective offence committed by Fernandez.
The unusual circumstance would have arisen if a disallowed goal had been examined to stay called back. That was the correct course of action.
The goal remained standing. In a statement, Pro Ref said: “It was established that Enzo Fernandez did not play the ball and therefore that makes any offside offence subjective. However, on this occasion, the VAR did not recognise the likely impact of his position and should have recommended an on-field review.”
Contact With United
Pro Ref believes it has made an error of judgement in a recent incident, and contact has been made with Manchester United this evening to acknowledge that mistake. A review of the matter will be conducted.
United defender Lisandro Martinez said it was an “injustice”. Boss Michael Carrick said he was “confused” by the decision.
Martinez’s frustration was plain. “I think it was offside,” he said. “And what I can’t understand is the rules. I want to be calm now, I want to control myself.”
“It’s so hard because you lose a derby, you lose three points at home, and every season they’re [referees] coming to our club, they explain for one hour the rules, and they look so confident with that, and then after [there are] five or six people doing these kind of mistakes in the Premier League – it’s unacceptable.”
“It’s the best league in the world, you have the best teams in the world, the best players in the world, and now we have to go home with this injustice.”
The Context Of The Decision
In the opening period, City’s numbers were reduced to just 10 players following a dismissal. Foden was sent off by referee Michael Oliver on 23 minutes after striking Fernandes in the midriff while the Portuguese was still on the ground. The red card came for a kick directed at Fernandes.
United were understandably displeased by the call, which arrived after City had been reduced to ten players.
Why The Mistake Happened
The most reasonable explanation is that the VAR focused on a possible touch from Fernandez while losing sight of the fact that Fernandez was offside. A comparable situation occurred in a match between Arsenal and Brentford in February 2023, where a goal scored by an offside Christian Norgaard went unoverturned.
Some people say that Fernandez’s actions affect how goalkeeper Senne Lammens positions herself. That is true, but it does not answer the main issue: the VAR did not suggest an on-field look at Fernandez’s position.
The Review Will Come
United will be subjected to a review of the incident. Publicly, Pro Ref has already admitted the mistake, reaching out to United to detail what went wrong.
The league’s refereeing body has acknowledged its mistake. The goal should have been disallowed, and VAR failed to advise an on-field review.
| Incident | Decision |
|---|---|
| Foden red card | City reduced to 10 men |
| Haaland scores | Goal ruled out on field |
| VAR review | Goal awarded |
| Pro Ref statement | Error of judgement admitted |
The outcome has been determined. The wrong still stands. The review will establish the truth.