RismadarVoice Reporters
September 13, 2026
The Premier League refereeing body, Pro Ref, has admitted an “error of judgement” in the decision to allow Erling Haaland’s controversial winning goal in Manchester City’s 1-0 victory over Manchester United at Old Trafford.
Haaland scored in the 60th minute to give City victory after the goal was initially ruled out for offside. A VAR review overturned the decision after determining that the Norwegian striker had been played onside by the boot of United defender Patrick Dorgu.
However, the decision immediately came under scrutiny because City midfielder Enzo Fernandez was in an offside position and appeared to be attempting to play the ball while directly in front of United defender Lisandro Martinez.
In a statement issued after the match, Pro Ref acknowledged that the VAR failed to properly assess the impact of Fernandez’s movement on the United defender.
The refereeing body said Fernandez did not touch the ball, making the question of whether he had committed an offside offence a subjective one. It said the VAR should nevertheless have recommended that referee Michael Oliver review the incident on the pitch.
Pro Ref said it had contacted Manchester United to acknowledge what it described as an “error of judgement” and confirmed that the incident would undergo further review.
The controversy overshadowed an already dramatic Manchester derby in which City played with 10 men for more than an hour after Phil Foden was sent off in the first half.
Foden received a straight red card in the 23rd minute after kicking out at United captain Bruno Fernandes while the midfielder was on the ground. Replays showed that Fernandes had made contact with Foden immediately before the retaliation, but the VAR review upheld the referee’s decision to dismiss the City player.
Despite their numerical disadvantage, City remained organised and eventually found the decisive goal through Haaland.
Josko Gvardiol’s cross took a deflection off Dorgu before reaching Haaland at the far post. The striker converted, but the assistant referee initially raised his flag for offside.
VAR subsequently established that Dorgu’s boot had kept Haaland onside. However, Fernandez’s position and attempt to reach the cross became the central issue in determining whether the goal should have stood.
United defender Martinez strongly criticised the decision after the match, describing the outcome as an “injustice” and questioning how the offside law had been interpreted.
Manchester United manager Michael Carrick also expressed frustration, saying the decision was difficult to understand given the number of officials and technological resources available to review such incidents.
Carrick argued that Fernandez’s attempt to head the ball affected the actions of Martinez and potentially goalkeeper Senne Lammens, making the midfielder’s involvement significant even though he did not make contact with the ball.
Former United striker Wayne Rooney and former United defender Gary Neville also argued that Fernandez’s movement should have been considered an offside offence because it appeared to influence Martinez’s attempt to defend the cross.
BBC football issues correspondent Dale Johnson said the incident fell within the subjective part of the offside law, which requires officials to determine whether an offside player is clearly attempting to play a nearby ball and whether that action impacts an opponent.
Johnson said Fernandez’s attempt to head the ball, with Martinez positioned directly behind him, made it difficult to argue that the United defender was not affected by the movement.
He added that the correct procedure would have been for VAR to recommend an on-field review by Oliver after determining that Haaland himself was onside.
The incident has therefore raised the unusual possibility that a VAR review which overturned the original offside decision should instead have resulted in the goal remaining disallowed for a different offside offence.
City manager Enzo Maresca defended the goal, saying he believed Haaland was clearly onside.
The victory maintained City’s perfect start to the Premier League season and left them on 12 points from four matches. United, meanwhile, suffered another setback after taking only four points from their opening four league games.
The refereeing controversy is expected to fuel further discussion over how VAR officials interpret subjective offside decisions, particularly when an offside player does not touch the ball but appears to influence an opponent’s actions.
Pro Ref said its review of the incident would examine the decision-making process and the circumstances surrounding the award of Haaland’s goal.
