Pro Ref Admits VAR Error Over Haaland's Manchester Derby Winner as United Rage at 'Injustice'

The Premier League refereeing body Pro Ref admitted an “error of judgement” in awarding Erling Haaland’s winning goal against Manchester United, saying the VAR should have recommended an on-field review
Enzo Fernandez was in an offside position and attempted a diving header in the six-yard box but did not touch the ball, with VAR Matt Donohue failing to recognize the impact of his position on defenders behind him
The controversy overshadowed Phil Foden’s first-half red card for kicking out at Bruno Fernandes, a decision that also divided pundits with Roy Keane and Wayne Rooney both arguing it should not have been a sending off

The goal was originally ruled out for the wrong reason, then given when it should have stayed disallowed

Manchester City won the derby. Pro Ref has admitted they should not have. That is the unavoidable summary of a match at Old Trafford that will be remembered not for Erling Haaland’s 60th-minute winner but for the chain of officiating failures that allowed it to stand.

Haaland turned home at the back post from Josko Gvardiol’s cross and was immediately flagged offside by the on-field officials. The lines drawn by the VAR then showed Haaland to be onside, kept in play by Patrick Dorgu’s boot. So the goal was awarded. All of that was correct. What was missed, and what Pro Ref has now acknowledged, was the involvement of Enzo Fernandez.

Fernandez was in an offside position in the middle of the six-yard box. As Gvardiol’s cross came in, taking a slight deflection off Dorgu’s boot, Fernandez threw himself into a diving header. He did not touch the ball. But he did not need to. The relevant part of the offside law is clear: a player is offside if they are “clearly attempting to play a ball which is close when this action impacts on an opponent.” Lisandro Martinez was directly behind Fernandez. The question the VAR needed to ask was whether Fernandez’s diving header influenced Martinez’s decision over playing the ball. The answer, by the refereeing body’s own admission, is that it should have triggered a review.

In a statement released on Saturday evening, 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 has been made with Manchester United this evening to acknowledge what we deem is an error of judgement. A review of the incident will take place.”

The curiosity, as BBC Sport football issues correspondent Dale Johnson pointed out, is that the goal was originally disallowed for the wrong reason. Haaland was flagged offside when he was not. That decision had to be overturned. But the VAR should then have sent referee Michael Oliver to the monitor for the subjective offence by Fernandez, which would have created the unusual situation of a disallowed goal being reviewed only to remain ruled out. That is what should have happened. Instead, VAR Matt Donohue waved the goal through.

Manchester United were livid. Martinez made no attempt to disguise his fury. “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 coming to our club, they explain for one hour the rules, and they look so confident with that, and then after 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.”

Manager Michael Carrick was equally baffled. “We put things in place in the game now, we have people in offices with all the screens for this decision,” he said. “It’s more worrying about if that’s the interpretation of football now. If that’s the interpretation of not interfering in the game now, that’s really worrying for me. It’s a staggering explanation. The decision isn’t going to change the season, but it’s had a major impact on the game.”

Wayne Rooney, working as part of the BBC’s MOTD2 team, was unequivocal. “Surely it’s offside,” he said. “Martinez is impacted by Fernandez’s movement, and he is offside.” Gary Neville said on Sky Sports: “I think we’ll see some sort of apology from the referee’s association, there’s no doubt Fernandez is playing that ball and is trying to put off Martinez. I think it’s one they’ll recognising they got wrong.”

Micah Richards offered the broadest assessment of the afternoon’s officiating. “I think it’s been a bad day for referees,” he said. “They got the Foden decision wrong and the Fernandez decision wrong. I think they got it so wrong but I don’t think it takes anything away from City’s performance.” City boss Maresca saw it differently: “I think it was onside clearly so it’s good.”

The Haaland controversy came after a first half dominated by another flashpoint. Phil Foden was shown a straight red card on 23 minutes for kicking out at Bruno Fernandes while on the ground. Replays showed that Fernandes kicked Foden in the back first before the England international retaliated. Fernandes was not shown a card.

Rooney did not believe the red was justified. “It was more of a flick or a gesture, than a kick out,” he said. Roy Keane placed the blame squarely on Fernandes. “Foden gets up and reacts obviously, so he’s sent off,” Keane said. “Fernandes catches him and gives him a little kick. I guess it’s classed as violent. But Fernandes is the one who is violent here, I don’t think Foden should have a red card.”

Johnson explained the legal framework. “The referee and VAR would have to deem it violent conduct rather than just petulance from Fernandes,” he said. “The guidance changed some years ago to factor that in, so David Beckham’s kick on Diego Simeone in the 1998 World Cup would not result in a sending off today. It looked to me like there was little to no contact from Fernandes, and if there was it was limited force and wasn’t followed through. So Bruno’s act would be seen as a yellow card offence, which the VAR obviously can’t get involved in.”

City won the match with 10 men. That much was earned. Whether they should have been allowed to win it with Haaland’s goal is a question that Pro Ref has already answered: they should not.

WRITTEN BY

Jarrod

Jarrod Partridge is the Founder of Futbol Chronicle and an accredited journalist with over 30 years of experience following international football. A member of the AIPS International Sports Press Association, Jarrod has covered matches at stadiums around the world, bringing first-hand insight to every match report, player profile, and tactical analysis he writes.