Manchester United’s 1-0 defeat to Manchester City at Old Trafford has been overshadowed by a major VAR controversy after refereeing body Pro Ref admitted an error in the decision to allow Erling Haaland’s winning goal.
Haaland struck in the 60th minute to give Manchester City victory in the 199th Manchester derby, but the goal initially appeared to have been ruled out for offside. Following a lengthy VAR review, the decision was overturned and the goal was allowed to stand.
The controversy centred on City midfielder Enzo Fernandez. While Haaland was ultimately judged to be in an onside position when Josko Gvardiol played the ball, Fernandez was in an offside position and attempted to reach the cross. Although he did not make contact with the ball, Manchester United argued that his position interfered with the defending players, particularly Lisandro Martinez. The Premier League Match Centre initially explained that Fernandez had not played the ball and was therefore not considered to have interfered with play. However, the controversy escalated after Pro Ref acknowledged that VAR had made an error of judgement and should have recommended an on-field review of Fernandez’s potential interference.
The admission has intensified criticism of VAR, particularly because the decision came in one of the Premier League’s biggest fixtures and ultimately determined the result. United manager Michael Carrick was furious after the match, questioning how VAR could fail to provide clarity despite the extensive technology and personnel available to officials. Carrick said he found it difficult to understand how the officials could not arrive at what he considered the correct decision.
United defender Lisandro Martinez was equally frustrated, arguing that Fernandez’s position affected his decision-making because he had to react to the City midfielder’s presence, leaving Haaland unmarked at the far post. The criticism was not limited to Manchester United. Former players and pundits also questioned the decision. Gary Neville said United could expect an apology over the incident, while Micah Richards described it as a bad day for refereeing. Former Manchester City players have also questioned whether Haaland’s goal should have stood.
The VAR controversy came on a day already dominated by contentious officiating. Manchester City were reduced to 10 men in the first half when Phil Foden was shown a straight red card following his clash with Bruno Fernandes. VAR backed the referee’s decision, adding another layer to the debate around officiating in the derby. Despite playing against 10 men for more than an hour, United failed to find an equaliser, with Marcus Rashford and Kobbie Mainoo both hitting the woodwork and Gianluigi Donnarumma making a crucial late save from Bryan Mbeumo.
But with Pro Ref now acknowledging that VAR should have intervened differently on the decisive goal, the Manchester derby has once again reignited a much bigger question: if VAR is supposed to eliminate major refereeing errors, what happens when the technology itself gets the crucial call wrong?