Sports · updated 1h ago · 2 min read
Pro Ref Admits VAR Error as Erling Haaland Goal Stands for Manchester City vs Manchester United
Pro Ref admitted Haaland's winner should not have stood. The body apologized to Manchester United for the decision.
25 outlets, one story, no spin found.
10 of 12 outlets skipped it: offside awarded because Fernandez did not touch ball.
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VAR admits error
Erling Haaland scored the lone goal as 10-man Manchester City beat Manchester United 1-0 at Old Trafford on Sunday, but Pro Ref later admitted the VAR process made an “error of judgement” in awarding the goal.
“Contact has been made with Manchester United this evening to acknowledge what we deem is an error of judgement”
Pro Ref said the on-field decision was offside against Haaland, “that was checked by VAR and he was found to be in an onside position,” while also saying VAR “did not recognize the likely impact” of Enzo Fernández’s position and “should have recommended an on-field review.”
The controversy centered on the 60th minute, when Haaland’s strike was initially ruled offside before VAR intervened, and Reuters reported that video reviews showed Haaland was onside when the ball was played.
United coach Michael Carrick said he “just don’t get it, I really don’t get it,” after the decision left City’s derby winner standing despite United’s view that Fernández’s offside position should have mattered.
Carrick, Martinez, Neville
Lisandro Martínez called the decision an “injustice,” saying, “I went to him because he was there in front of me, that's why Haaland was free at the back,” after VAR allowed the goal to stand.
Michael Carrick also pressed for clarity, telling Sky Sports: “They're the words that I think - emphatically - means we will see an apology from Pro Ref,” as Gary Neville predicted an apology for officials getting the decision wrong.
The Premier League Match Centre’s explanation that “Fernandez didn't play the ball” was challenged by United’s camp, with Reuters describing Carrick’s frustration at “so many layers behind them, so many people, bodies and screens.”
In the same dispute, theScore reported that Pro Ref said the VAR “did not recognize the likely impact of his position and should have recommended an on-field review,” while Sky Sports quoted Neville saying “They will have to retract that.”
League table and next steps
The result meant City joined Arsenal as the only Premier League teams with maximum points from four games, while United were left “in 13th with one win, one draw and two defeats,” ESPN said after Pro Ref’s admission.
“United lie in 13th with one win, one draw and two defeats”
Reuters reported that debate would likely continue over whether the derby goal should have been allowed to stand, even as Pro Ref said it would review the incident and had contacted Manchester United.
Al Jazeera described the match as a 1-0 win for Haaland’s City after Phil Foden’s first-half red card for violent conduct, and said the VAR review deemed Haaland was onside and Fernández was not interfering.
Looking ahead, the sources said City next face a League Cup third-round visit to Norwich City on Thursday, while United are scheduled to play Brighton & Hove Albion on Wednesday in the same competition.