Pro Ref has admitted an “error of judgement” in the decision to allow Erling Haaland’s winning goal during Manchester City’s Manchester derby victory over Manchester United at Old Trafford.
The admission came just hours after City’s win, with Pro Ref confirming that it had contacted Manchester United to acknowledge that the VAR should have recommended an on-field review over the incident.
The initial VAR check focused on whether Haaland had been played onside by United defender Patrick Dorgu.
However, another element of the attack subsequently became decisive. Manchester City midfielder Enzo Fernandez was in an offside position as he attempted to play the ball before it reached Haaland. Although Fernandez did not make contact with the ball, his movement appeared to affect the positioning and defending of United defender Lisandro Martinez.
Under the laws of the game, that potential impact meant the goal should have remained disallowed.
Pro Ref Statement
Pro Ref explained that while Fernandez’s failure to touch the ball made the potential offside offence subjective, the VAR officials failed to recognise the likely influence of his position on the defending.
The statement read:
“Following the incident in the 60th minute of Sunday’s Premier League fixture between Manchester United and Manchester City at Old Trafford, we can provide clarification regarding Erling Haaland’s awarded goal.
The on-field decision was offside against Erling Haaland – that was checked by VAR and he was found to be in an onside position.
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.
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 admission means the controversy surrounding one of the game’s decisive moments has now been formally acknowledged by the refereeing authorities.
Inconsistencies in Officiating in England
The latest incident adds to a growing list of controversial officiating decisions in the Premier League, despite the campaign still being in its early stages.
Only last week, the Premier League’s Key Match Incidents (KMI) Panel ruled that Arsenal should have been awarded a late penalty against Aston Villa, while also determining that Villa’s Ian Maatsen should have received a second yellow card.
With another major VAR decision now acknowledged as an error, questions over consistency in English officiating are once again likely to dominate discussion.
For Manchester United, however, the issue will carry particular frustration. A decision made in the VAR room ultimately allowed Haaland’s goal to stand, and Pro Ref’s subsequent admission confirms that the review process itself fell short at a crucial moment of the Manchester derby.
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