The refereeing body responsible for professional football in England, Pro Ref, has admitted that an “error of judgement” was made in the decision to award Erling Haaland’s winning goal in Manchester City’s 1-0 victory over Manchester United at Old Trafford.
The admission came after the controversial incident in the 60th minute of Sunday’s Manchester derby, when Haaland scored the only goal of the game after Josko Gvardiol’s cross reached him at the far post.
The goal was initially ruled out for offside by the on-field officials. However, VAR reviewed the incident and determined that Haaland himself was in an onside position. The decision was subsequently overturned and the goal awarded.
The controversy, however, centred on Manchester City midfielder Enzo Fernandez, who was in an offside position during the same attacking move.
Pro Ref acknowledged that while Fernandez did not make contact with the ball, the VAR failed to properly consider whether his position and attempt to play the ball affected Manchester United's defenders.
According to the refereeing body, VAR should have recommended that referee Michael Oliver conduct an on-field review before the final decision was made.
Pro Ref Acknowledges Mistake
In its explanation, Pro Ref said the original on-field decision was offside against Haaland.
VAR correctly established that Haaland was in an onside position and therefore the initial offside call against the Manchester City striker was incorrect.
However, the review also identified Fernandez as being in an offside position.
The problem, according to Pro Ref, was that officials focused on whether Fernandez actually played the ball rather than adequately assessing the effect of his movement and position on the Manchester United players.
“In the same attack, it was established that Enzo Fernandez did not play the ball and therefore that makes any offside offence subjective,” Pro Ref said.
The body then acknowledged that VAR failed to recognise the likely impact of Fernandez's position.
That meant the referee should have been asked to personally review the footage and determine whether Fernandez had interfered with an opponent.
Pro Ref said it had contacted Manchester United to acknowledge what it described as an “error of judgement” and confirmed that a review of the incident would take place.
Why Fernandez’s Position Was Important
The controversy was not ultimately about whether Haaland was offside.
The VAR review established that he was onside.
Instead, the decisive question was whether Fernandez, who was in an offside position, had interfered with play or an opponent by attempting to play the ball.
Fernandez moved towards the cross in front of Manchester United defenders and attempted to play it, although he did not make contact with the ball.
Under the offside law, being in an offside position does not automatically constitute an offence. A player can be in an offside position without being penalised if they do not become involved in active play.
However, an offence can occur if an offside player interferes with an opponent or otherwise becomes involved in the play in a manner covered by the law.
That subjective element was why Pro Ref said the incident should have gone to the referee for an on-field review rather than being resolved solely by VAR.
Manchester United Defenders Appeared to React to Fernandez
The incident became particularly controversial because Fernandez was positioned close to United defender Lisandro Martínez and goalkeeper Senne Lammens as the ball entered the penalty area.
Replays showed United players reacting to Fernandez's movement as he attempted to reach the cross.
Sky Sports analysis noted that Lammens appeared to react to Fernandez's movement and that Martinez had to account for the City midfielder's position while defending the cross.
Former Manchester United defender Gary Neville argued that Fernandez's presence affected the goalkeeper's positioning.
Neville questioned why the officials had focused on whether Fernandez touched the ball rather than considering whether his attempt to play it had influenced the defenders.
His argument was that an offside player does not necessarily have to make contact with the ball to affect an opponent's ability to defend the play.
That distinction is at the heart of Pro Ref's subsequent admission.
VAR Correctly Found Haaland Onside
The original on-field call against Haaland was itself incorrect.
The Manchester City striker was in an onside position when Gvardiol's cross was delivered, and VAR used the available technology to establish that he was not offside.
The Premier League is using semi-automated offside technology this season, which assists officials in determining player positions during relevant reviews.
Therefore, VAR was right to overturn the offside decision against Haaland.
The mistake came in what happened next.
Once Fernandez's offside position was identified, the officials needed to determine whether his actions constituted an offence.
Because that judgment involved assessing the impact of his position on opponents, Pro Ref says the correct procedure would have been to recommend an on-field review.
Instead, the goal was allowed to stand.
Haaland Goal Decided the Manchester Derby
The decision had a direct impact on the result.
Manchester City defeated Manchester United 1-0 at Old Trafford, with Haaland's goal proving decisive.
City had already been reduced to 10 players earlier in the match after Phil Foden was sent off in the 23rd minute.
Despite playing with a numerical disadvantage for much of the match, City held on to secure all three points.
That made the VAR controversy even more significant for United, who were unable to recover after conceding.
The defeat meant the disputed decision was not merely an academic refereeing discussion. It directly influenced the outcome of a Premier League match.
Carrick Furious After the Match
Manchester United manager Michael Carrick was highly critical of the decision after the match.
Carrick questioned how the goal could be allowed to stand when Fernandez appeared to be involved in the attacking move from an offside position.
The admission from Pro Ref subsequently confirmed that the VAR process had not been handled as it should have been.
Manchester United had already expressed frustration over the incident, and Pro Ref's decision to contact the club directly acknowledged the seriousness of the mistake.
The club's position was also strengthened by the fact that the refereeing body did not simply defend the original decision.
Instead, it accepted that VAR should have taken a different course.
Why VAR Could Not Simply Rule the Goal Out
One of the more complicated aspects of the incident is why VAR did not simply overturn the goal once Fernandez's offside position was identified.
The answer lies in the nature of the original on-field decision.
The referee had initially ruled Haaland offside.
VAR subsequently determined that Haaland was actually onside.
However, Fernandez's potential offside offence involved a subjective judgment about whether his position and actions interfered with an opponent.
Because the original decision did not concern Fernandez, VAR could not simply replace the referee's decision with a completely different subjective judgment without following the appropriate review procedure.
That is why Pro Ref said the referee should have been called to the pitchside monitor.
Michael Oliver would then have had the opportunity to watch the incident and determine whether Fernandez's actions constituted an offside offence.
The failure to make that recommendation is what Pro Ref has now described as the error of judgement.
VAR Official Matt Donohue Under Scrutiny
The VAR official at Old Trafford was Matt Donohue, with Blake Antrobus serving as assistant VAR.
Donohue was responsible for reviewing the incident and communicating the VAR recommendation to the on-field referee.
The controversy has put the VAR team's decision-making under scrutiny.
Reports following the incident said the officials involved would face further review, while the Premier League refereeing body moved quickly to acknowledge the error.
The incident is likely to prompt further examination of how VAR officials deal with subjective offside situations, particularly when a player in an offside position does not touch the ball but may nevertheless influence an opponent.
Pro Ref’s Admission Does Not Change the Result
Despite acknowledging the mistake, Pro Ref's statement does not change the result of the Manchester derby.
Manchester City's 1-0 victory remains the official result.
There is no indication that the Premier League will replay the match or retrospectively remove Haaland's goal from the result.
The review is instead intended to examine how the officials handled the incident and potentially identify ways to prevent similar errors in future matches.
This is consistent with how refereeing decisions are generally treated after matches: an admission that a decision was incorrect does not normally alter the completed result.
For Manchester United, however, the acknowledgement provides confirmation that the concern surrounding the goal was legitimate.
Another VAR Debate for the Premier League
The controversy adds to the continuing debate over VAR in English football.
The technology was introduced to reduce major refereeing errors, but its use has also created new disputes over how officials interpret incidents and when intervention should occur.
The Haaland incident illustrates the difference between technical and subjective decisions.
The technology was able to establish that Haaland was onside.
But it could not independently decide whether Fernandez's actions had interfered with United's defenders in a way that constituted an offside offence.
That required a human judgment.
Pro Ref's position is that the VAR should have recognised this distinction and sent Michael Oliver to the monitor.
Instead, the review effectively ended after determining that Haaland was onside and Fernandez had not touched the ball.
The refereeing body has now accepted that this was insufficient.
Manchester United Contacted Directly
Pro Ref also confirmed that it contacted Manchester United directly to acknowledge the mistake.
That is significant because the organisation did not wait for a wider public review before communicating with the club affected by the decision.
The body said a formal review of the incident would take place.
The review could examine the sequence of decisions made by the VAR team, the communication between the video officials and Michael Oliver, and whether the correct interpretation of the offside law and VAR protocol was applied.
It could also provide further clarity for clubs and supporters about how similar situations should be handled in future.
What Happens Next?
The immediate consequence is an internal review of the incident.
The bigger question is whether the Premier League and Pro Ref will use the episode to clarify the way VAR handles subjective offside decisions.
The technology successfully determined that Haaland was onside, but the review failed to adequately address Fernandez's involvement.
That distinction is likely to become an important part of any subsequent explanation.
For Manchester City, the goal remains the match winner and the club keeps the three points.
For Manchester United, the result cannot be changed, but Pro Ref's admission confirms that the decisive incident was not handled correctly.
The episode also provides another reminder that VAR does not eliminate human judgment from football.
Instead, it changes where and how that judgment is exercised.
In this case, the technology correctly identified that Haaland was onside, but the VAR team failed to recognise that Fernandez's offside position required a subjective assessment of his impact on the play.
Pro Ref has now acknowledged that the referee should have been given the opportunity to make that assessment himself.
With the refereeing body admitting an “error of judgement” and contacting Manchester United directly, the controversial Haaland goal is set to remain one of the Premier League's most discussed refereeing incidents of the early 2026/27 season.
