🚨 BREAKING: Pro Ref Admits “Error of Judgement” Over Haaland’s Controversial Winner Against Manchester United
Manchester United have received confirmation that the controversial decision which allowed Erling Haaland’s winning goal in the Manchester derby should have been handled differently.
Pro Ref, the body responsible for refereeing in English football, has admitted that an “error of judgement” was made by the VAR team during Manchester City’s 1-0 victory over United at Old Trafford.
The incident occurred in the 60th minute when Haaland converted Manchester City’s attack to give the visitors the only goal of the game.
Initially, the goal was ruled out for offside against Haaland. However, VAR reviewed the incident and determined that the Norwegian striker was actually in an onside position.
The problem came from what happened earlier in the same attacking move.
Manchester City’s Enzo Fernández was in an offside position as he moved towards the ball. Although Fernández did not make contact with it, his movement had an impact on the situation, with Lisandro Martínez reacting to his presence.
According to Pro Ref, VAR failed to properly recognise the likely impact of Fernández’s position and should have recommended that referee Michael Oliver conduct an on-field review.
🚨 Pro Ref admits the mistake
In its statement, Pro Ref acknowledged that the original offside decision against Haaland was incorrect because he was onside.
However, the organisation explained that Fernández’s involvement created a subjective offside decision that should have been assessed by the referee.
Pro Ref said the VAR team “did not recognise the likely impact of his position” and therefore should have recommended an on-field review.
The organisation also confirmed that it had contacted Manchester United to acknowledge what it described as an “error of judgement.” A review of the incident will now take place.
😱 Howard Webb explains what went wrong
The controversy did not end with the initial admission.
Pro Ref chief Howard Webb later explained that the VAR team suffered from what he described as “tunnel vision.”
According to Webb, VAR became heavily focused on determining whether Haaland was onside. Once they established that Haaland was onside, they failed to properly assess Fernández’s involvement in the attacking phase.
Webb confirmed that the goal should have been disallowed and said the VAR team should have recognised Fernández’s impact despite him not touching the ball.
This is particularly significant because a player does not necessarily have to touch the ball to be penalised for an offside offence. The key issue is whether the player in an offside position interferes with an opponent or otherwise becomes involved in the play.
🔴 Manchester United have every reason to be frustrated
For United, the admission will do little to change the result.
The final score remains Manchester United 0-1 Manchester City, meaning City left Old Trafford with all three points.
But the official acknowledgement provides important confirmation that the controversial moment was not simply a case of fans misunderstanding the offside law.
The refereeing body itself has now accepted that the VAR process failed to properly deal with Fernández’s position and that an on-field review should have taken place.
United manager Michael Carrick had already expressed his frustration immediately after the match, questioning how Fernández could be considered not to have interfered with play when he was close to the ball and directly affecting the positioning of United players.
👀 VAR officials stood down
The fallout has also affected the officials involved.
VAR Matt Donohue and assistant VAR Blake Antrobus have been stood down from Premier League duties until after the international break following the incident.
That adds another layer to what has become one of the biggest talking points from the Manchester derby.
The technology itself correctly established that Haaland was onside, but the wider VAR assessment failed to consider the full attacking phase and Fernández’s impact.
🔥 The big question for United fans
The biggest frustration for Manchester United supporters is that the technology was available to help the officials make the correct decision.
The issue was not simply whether Haaland was onside.
It was whether Fernández, who was in an offside position and moved towards the ball, had an impact on United’s defenders and goalkeeper.
Pro Ref has now acknowledged that the situation should have been reviewed by Michael Oliver on the pitch.
For United, however, the admission comes after the final whistle and cannot change the scoreline.
Manchester City still have the victory, while United are left to reflect on a derby defeat in which a controversial VAR decision played a decisive role.
One thing is now officially clear: Pro Ref believes the Haaland goal should have been subjected to an on-field review, and the VAR team made an error of judgement in failing to recommend one.
🔴 Manchester United fans, what do you make of Pro Ref admitting the VAR error? Was this one of the worst VAR decisions you have seen involving United?