City won the Manchester derby with a goal that, after the final whistle, became a matter of refereeing. Pro Ref has apologized to United for an offside position in the decisive action, a message that for the moment does not erase a very bitter defeat, which came after a controversial action: according to the Premier League's refereeing body, there should have been an error of judgment that should have prompted VAR to request an on-field review of Haaland's decisive goal, which was deemed legal.
The doubts are not related to the Norwegian's position, but to that of Enzo Fernandez. The City midfielder was in an offside position and moved towards the ball before it reached Haaland. The VAR had considered that his intervention had no impact, but according to Pro Ref, this assessment was wrong: his position, proximity to the ball and Lisandro Martínez's reaction should have prompted the VAR to ask Oliver for a review on the monitor.
#MUNMCI – 59' VAR OVERTURN
— Premier League Match Center (@PLMatchCentre) September 13, 2026
VAR checked the referee's call of no goal for offside – and determined that Haaland was in an onside position and recommended that the goal was awarded.
The VAR also deemed that while in an offside position, Fernandez did not play the ball. pic.twitter.com/TyTip3ACIh
What happened in the Manchester derby?
Despite being outnumbered (Foden was sent off in the 23rd minute), City won the derby at Old Trafford with a goal from Haaland, moving level on points with Arsenal. But the manner in which the victory came about was under scrutiny by Pro Ref, the body responsible for professional referees in the Premier League, who found an error in judgement in Haaland's goal: his goal had been disallowed by the referee, but was re-awarded by VAR after a silent review, which confirmed that he was in a legal position at the time of the pass.
The point of the case, however, concerns Enzo Fernandez, who the VAR should have investigated through a real review, calling the referee. The Argentine was in an illegal position and had tried to direct the ball without touching it: for this reason his attempt was considered irrelevant and Haaland's goal, who was in a legal position, was considered valid. From the pitch, many fans and pundits were surprised and, a few hours later, they had material to support their claim.
Pro Ref has admitted an 'error of judgement' in awarding Manchester City's winner at Manchester United in their 1-0 victory at Old Trafford.
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) September 13, 2026
Erling Haaland's goal was initially disallowed for offside on the pitch before VAR overturned the decision. pic.twitter.com/ZF76Qwz4Ib
VAR evaluation error
This is where the apology from Pro Ref comes from, which in its statement speaks of an error of assessment. The VAR should have intervened for the offside position of Enzo Fernandez, who, making a move towards the ball without touching it, obstructs Lisandro Martinez and creates an interference that then leads to the decisive goal. Manchester United is aware of the error and the action is the subject of an internal investigation: it is a rare case in the Premier League, but in a match as delicate as the Manchester derby, decided by an obvious error.
