English football's refereeing body, Pro Ref, has conceded that Erling Haaland's decisive goal in Sunday's Manchester derby should not have been allowed to stand, following a VAR review process that has since drawn heavy criticism.
Haaland struck in the 60th minute at Old Trafford to hand Manchester City a 1-0 win over 10-man Manchester United, who had seen Phil Foden sent off earlier in the match for kicking out at Bruno Fernandes. The goal came after Josko Gvardiol's cross deflected off Patrick Dorgu, ran past both Enzo Fernandez and United defender Lisandro Martinez, before Haaland finished from close range.
The goal was initially flagged offside on the field, but VAR intervened and allowed it to stand after determining Fernandez had not made contact with the ball, even though he was in an offside position and had lunged toward it. That decision meant any offside offence attached to his involvement was treated as a matter of interpretation rather than fact.
Hours after the final whistle, Pro Ref released a statement acknowledging the call had been mishandled. "The on-field decision was offside against Erling Haaland – that was checked by VAR and he was found to be in an onside position," the statement read. "In the same attack, 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."
The body confirmed it had been in touch with Manchester United to acknowledge the mistake and that a formal review of the incident would follow.
Martinez, who was directly affected by Fernandez's positioning, did not hide his frustration afterward. "He was offside. I went to [Fernandez] because he was there in front of me, and that's why Haaland was free [to score]," the Argentine defender said. "I want to be calm, I want to control myself but it's so hard... And now we have to go home with this injustice."
United manager Michael Carrick was similarly bemused by the explanation given for allowing the goal. "At the time I hadn't totally seen it. But the explanation I got was he wasn't interfering with play, so I just don't get it," he said, adding that the layers of technology and officiating support seemed to be producing more confusion rather than clarity. Asked whether an apology from Pro Ref would be welcome, Carrick replied bluntly: "Yeah, that'd be great, that. Yeah, I can't wait for that one."
Former Premier League referees' chief Keith Hackett also weighed in, arguing that the original on-field call was correct. He said Fernandez had made "a deliberate play for the ball" and should therefore have been considered active and offside, dismissing the Match Centre's reasoning as a misreading of the law.
City boss Enzo Maresca defended his side, insisting Fernandez had no bearing on the goal and noting that the fourth official had confirmed Haaland was onside. Maresca also addressed Foden's dismissal, agreeing it was the correct call but suggesting Fernandes should have been sent off too after appearing to kick Foden first.
Despite the fallout, Carrick insisted the result would not derail United's season. "We haven't got as many points as we wanted and we should have. We've got to accept that and take that," he said, pointing to progress made by the squad over time.
The result left City on 12 points, second in the table behind Arsenal on goal difference, while United sit 13th with just four points from their opening matches.
Based on reporting from Guardian Football, Independent Football, and Standard Football.