Donohue and Antrobus Omitted After Manchester Derby VAR Error
Matt Donohue and assistant VAR Blake Antrobus have not been selected for Premier League duty this weekend after Pro Ref accepted that Manchester City’s disputed derby goal at Old Trafford should not have been allowed to stand.
Why the decision matters
The incident centred on Erling Haaland’s goal for City following a video review. The on-field offside call against Haaland was overturned after Patrick Dorgu was judged to have played the City striker onside, but Enzo Fernández remained in an offside position as the move developed.
Fernández attempted to head the ball and appeared to affect both Manchester United defender Lisandro Martínez and goalkeeper Senne Lammens. That involvement was considered sufficient for a possible offside offence, and Pro Ref acknowledged that Donohue should have advised referee Michael Oliver to review the footage at the pitch-side monitor.
| Official | Weekend assignment | Next possible top-flight date |
|---|---|---|
| Matt Donohue | Not appointed | October 10 at the earliest |
| Blake Antrobus | Not appointed | October 10 at the earliest |
| Michael Oliver | Bournemouth v Liverpool, Sunday | Sunday |
The decision to leave Donohue and Antrobus off the appointments list was made by Howard Webb and the Pro Ref management group. With an international break following this weekend’s fixtures, neither official can return to a Premier League match before October 10.
Donohue made his Premier League refereeing debut in May 2024. He had joined the EFL assistant referees’ list in 2014 and has worked regularly as a VAR during the past two years.
Manchester United have been contacted by Pro Ref over the error. Former United forward Wayne Rooney described the award of the goal as “baffling”, arguing that Fernández’s offside position and attempt to play the ball should have been clear to anyone familiar with the game. Rooney also criticised VAR for damaging the emotion and flow of matches.
Further explanation expected
Webb is due to appear on the Match Officials: Mic’d Up programme on Sky Sports and TNT Sports on Tuesday, where the Old Trafford decision is expected to be discussed.
