The Premier League’s refereeing body, Pro Ref, acknowledged on Sunday that an error was made in the decision to award Erling Haaland’s winning goal in Manchester City’s 1-0 derby victory over Manchester United.
Haaland converted Josko Gvardiol’s low cross at the back post in the 60th minute at Old Trafford, but the goal was initially ruled out for offside.
Following a VAR review, however, the decision was overturned and the goal awarded after Haaland was found to have been in an onside position.
The controversy instead concerned City midfielder Enzo Fernandez, who was in an offside position and attempted to play the cross without making contact with the ball.
“In the same attack, it was established that Enzo Fernandez did not play the ball, and therefore that makes any offside offence subjective. However, on this occasion, the VAR did not recognize the likely impact of his position and should have recommended an on-field review,” Pro Ref said in a statement.
The body said it had contacted Manchester United to acknowledge what it considered “an error of judgement,” adding that the incident would be reviewed.
VAR Matthew Donohue and assistant VAR Blake Antrobus determined that Haaland was onside and that Fernandez, despite being in an offside position, had not committed an offside offence.
The controversial goal proved decisive as a 10-man Manchester City held on for a 1-0 victory after Phil Foden was sent off in the 23rd minute.