The Premier League's independent refereeing body has admitted that Erling Haaland's winning goal for Manchester City against Manchester United should not have counted, calling it an error of judgment over an offside call involving Enzo Fernandez.
The disputed goal came in the 60th minute of Sunday's derby at Old Trafford. Haaland put City ahead, and the Video Assistant Referee, known as VAR, stopped play to check for offside before the goal was confirmed. City went on to win the match 1-0, despite having been reduced to 10 men from the 23rd minute.
VAR's initial explanation
The on-field decision was that Haaland had been in an offside position. Review found he was level with the last defender when the ball was played, so the goal stood. The Premier League later explained in a social media post that Fernandez, who was in an offside position during the same passage of play, had not played the ball.
Referees' body reverses course
The body responsible for refereeing in English professional football took a different view of Fernandez's involvement. It said the Argentine had not touched the ball, but that his position could still have affected the passage of play.
According to its statement, VAR did not correctly assess the situation, and referee Michael Oliver should have been called to the pitchside monitor to check Fernandez's position and his potential influence on the winning goal.
The body said that, after the incident in the 60th minute of Sunday's Premier League match between Manchester United and Manchester City at Old Trafford, it could now clarify the goal awarded to Haaland. It said the on-field decision had been that Haaland was offside, and that VAR review had found him to be in a legal position, so the goal was allowed to stand.
It added that in the same attack, it was established that Fernandez had not played the ball, meaning whether an offside offence had occurred was a matter of judgment. However, it said VAR had failed to recognize the potential impact of his position and should have recommended that the referee review the incident on the pitchside monitor.
Video assistant referees explained
VAR was introduced across the Premier League to help referees check key decisions, including goals, penalties and offside calls, using video replays and a pitchside monitor. Michael Oliver is one of the league's most senior referees.
What happens next
The refereeing body said it had contacted Manchester United on the evening of the match to acknowledge what it considered to have been an error of judgment. It confirmed that a review of the incident would take place, though it gave no further detail on the process or any possible consequences for the result.
