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The Professional Game Referees governing organization, widely known as Pro Ref, has formally conceded that a major "error of judgment" was committed when the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) permitted Erling Haaland’s decisive winning goal to stand during Manchester City’s heated 1-0 victory over local rivals Manchester United at Old Trafford.
The admission arrived following the conclusion of Sunday's fiercely contested Manchester derby on September 13, 2026. The high-profile Premier League encounter was heavily overshadowed by the controversial officiating verdict that directly altered the scoreline and determined the final outcome of the match between the two fierce cross-town rivals.
Manchester City had already found themselves navigating severe adversity earlier in the contest after being reduced to ten men. England forward Phil Foden was shown a straight red card and sent off for kicking Manchester United midfielder and captain Bruno Fernandes, leaving the visiting squad at a major numerical disadvantage for a substantial portion of the game.
Despite operating with only ten players on the pitch, Manchester City managed to break the deadlock right on the hour mark. Croatian defender Josko Gvardiol whipped an inviting cross into the Manchester United penalty area, which Haaland met with a clinical close-range finish to steer the ball into the net and hand his side the lead.
The goal represented a major individual milestone for the prolific Norwegian forward, serving as Haaland's ninth career league goal in Manchester derbies. However, the initial on-field celebrations were quickly interrupted when the match officials initially disallowed the strike after the assistant referee raised the flag for an apparent offside infringement.
The incident was promptly referred to the VAR room for a comprehensive video check to establish whether Haaland or any of his attacking teammates had breached the offside regulations in the buildup. Following a review of the footage, the video officials determined that Haaland himself had remained in an onside position when the cross was delivered.
Based on that finding, the VAR team chose to overturn the on-field decision and award the opening goal to Manchester City. However, the ruling sparked immediate fury because City midfielder Enzo Fernandez was standing in an offside position and actively attempted to reach Gvardiol’s cross just ahead of Haaland, despite ultimately failing to make contact with the ball.
In the immediate aftermath of the controversial decision, the Premier League Match Centre took to social media channels to offer a public explanation of why the goal had been permitted. The match center stated that the VAR had established that Haaland was onside and deemed that Fernandez did not commit an offense because he did not actually touch or play the ball.
That official explanation did not withstand scrutiny for long, as Pro Ref issued a statement later on Sunday reversing the stance and admitting the decision was flawed. The refereeing body acknowledged that the VAR team failed to recognize the likely impact that the Argentine midfielder's presence and movement had on the surrounding Manchester United defenders.
Pro Ref clarified that rather than allowing the goal to stand directly from the video booth, the VAR official should have recommended an on-field review. Such a recommendation would have instructed the main referee to consult the pitchside monitor and evaluate whether Fernandez’s offside actions actively interfered with play or impacted the defensive positioning of the opposition.
Alongside the public admission of the mistake, Pro Ref confirmed that senior refereeing leadership made direct contact with Manchester United on Sunday evening to formally acknowledge the officiating error of judgment. The organization also announced that a thorough formal review of the entire incident will take place to assess how the breakdown occurred.
Manchester United manager Michael Carrick voiced severe concern during his post-match press conference, directing strong criticism toward the officiating crew. Carrick stated that it was deeply worrying to see a collective team of professional video and on-field officials review the incident and still arrive at such an inaccurate conclusion.
United defender Lisandro Martinez, who was directly involved in trying to defend the attacking sequence inside the box, shared his frustration regarding how Fernandez's movement directly compromised his positioning. Martinez explained that he was forced to step toward his Argentine international teammate because Fernandez was directly in front of him, creating the space that left Haaland unmarked at the far post.
The Argentine defender pulled no punches when evaluating the situation, branding the awarding of the winning goal an outright injustice for Manchester United. Martinez emphasized that having five or six match officials make an error of this magnitude at the highest level of the Premier League is completely unacceptable, leaving his squad to return home empty-handed under deeply unfair circumstances.
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