The body responsible for refereeing in English football, Professional Game Referees (Pro Ref), has admitted that an “error of judgment” was made in awarding Erling Haaland’s controversial winning goal during Manchester City’s 1-0 victory over Manchester United.
Haaland scored in the 60th minute at Old Trafford to settle the Manchester derby, but the goal initially appeared to have been ruled out for offside. VAR subsequently overturned the decision and allowed the strike to stand.
The controversy centred on City midfielder Enzo Fernandez, who was in an offside position as Josko Gvardiol delivered the cross. Although Fernandez did not make contact with the ball, he attempted to play it and was positioned close to United defender Lisandro Martinez.
Pro Ref later acknowledged that VAR failed to properly assess the potential impact of Fernandez’s position on the play.
According to the refereeing body, the video assistant referee should have recommended that referee Michael Oliver review the incident on the pitch before making the final decision.
Pro Ref also confirmed that it had contacted Manchester United to acknowledge the mistake and said the incident would be reviewed.
The admission is unlikely to ease United’s frustration after the controversial decision played a decisive role in the derby defeat.
United manager Michael Carrick had questioned the decision immediately after the match, while Martinez described the goal as an injustice.
The controversy came in an already dramatic encounter, with Manchester City having been reduced to 10 men after Phil Foden was shown a red card for kicking out at United captain Bruno Fernandes in the first half.
Despite being a man down, City held on for victory, with Haaland’s strike proving to be the only goal of the contest.
The Norwegian’s goal was his ninth in Manchester derby matches, but the result has now been overshadowed by the refereeing controversy and Pro Ref’s subsequent admission.
For Manchester United, the acknowledgement comes too late to alter the result, but the incident is expected to generate further discussion about VAR procedures and the interpretation of offside decisions in the Premier League.
