Pro Ref Admits Haaland’s Manchester Derby Winner Should NOT Have Stood

The controversy surrounding Erling Haaland’s decisive goal in Manchester City’s 1-0 victory over Manchester United has taken another dramatic turn, with the professional refereeing body admitting that VAR made an “error of judgement.”

Haaland’s 60th-minute strike at Old Trafford was initially ruled out for offside before VAR intervened and determined that the Norwegian was actually in an onside position, with Patrick Dorgu’s positioning playing him onside.

However, the major issue was Enzo Fernández.

The City midfielder was in an offside position and attempted to reach Josko Gvardiol’s cross before the ball eventually fell to Haaland. Although Fernández did not make contact with the ball, his movement appeared to influence United defender Lisandro Martínez, who reacted to his attempt to play the cross.

Pro Ref has now acknowledged that VAR failed to recognise the likely impact of Fernández’s position and should have recommended that referee Michael Oliver conduct an on-field review. The organisation has also contacted Manchester United to acknowledge the mistake.

The admission comes after United manager Michael Carrick expressed disbelief at the decision, while Martínez described the incident as an injustice.

City ultimately held on for a 1-0 victory despite playing with 10 men for more than an hour following Phil Foden’s red card.

The three points remain with Manchester City, but the refereeing admission has added another huge talking point to an already explosive Manchester derby.