Pro Ref admits Haaland derby winner should have had VAR monitor review

Manchester United have received an apology from Pro Ref after the refereeing body accepted that Erling Haaland’s decisive goal in Manchester City’s 1-0 derby victory at Old Trafford should have been reviewed at the pitchside monitor.

Key takeaways

• Haaland scored the only goal in the 60th minute as City won the Manchester derby 1-0.
• The assistant referee initially raised the flag, but VAR overturned the offside call.
• Officials judged that Enzo Fernández had not touched the ball and was not interfering with play.
• Pro Ref later concluded that Fernández’s position was likely to affect the phase and required an on-field review.
• City remain perfect after four Premier League matches, alongside Arsenal, while United are 13th.

VAR error acknowledged after derby winner

Haaland finished at the far post after Josko Gvardiol’s cross took a deflection in the 60th minute. Although the original on-field ruling was offside, VAR officials Matthew Donohue and Blake Antrobus determined that Haaland himself was in a legal position.

The controversy centred on Fernández, who was positioned in the central area of the penalty box and contested the ball with United defender Lisandro Martínez. The video officials concluded that the City midfielder had not played the ball, treating any possible offside offence as a subjective matter and allowing the goal to stand.

Pro Ref has since said the VAR team failed to give sufficient weight to the likely effect of Fernández’s position on the passage of play. The body said an on-field review should have been recommended and confirmed that it had contacted United to recognise an error of judgement. A formal review of the incident will follow.

United manager Michael Carrick described the ruling as worrying after the match, while Martínez labelled the decision an injustice following his challenge with Fernández.

City keep pace with Arsenal

The result gave City four wins from four Premier League fixtures, leaving them level with Arsenal as the division’s only sides with maximum points at this stage.

United’s defeat leaves them 13th in the table. Their opening four matches have produced one victory, one draw and two losses, with the VAR decision set to remain a major point of discussion after the derby.