Man United have been informed by Pro Ref that Man City striker Erling Haaland's winning goal in the derby should have been disallowed.
Enzo Fernandez offside
Enzo Fernandez was deemed not to have interfered before Erling Haaland scored (Image: Sky Sports)
Erling Haaland's winner in the Manchester derby should NOT have stood, Pro Ref have admitted just hours after the match. A rare statement was issued in the aftermath of the match, in which 10-man Manchester City beat Manchester United 1-0. Haaland's 60th-minute finish was the difference at Old Trafford despite the fact his team-mate Enzo Fernandez was in an offside position before the Norwegian scored.
A VAR check cleared Haaland as onside after the goal had initially been chalked off by Michael Oliver. But they did not deem Fernandez to be interfering in the play despite the Argentine clearly moving towards the ball, and impacting Lisandro Martinez and Senne Lammens, before Haaland scored after being left unmarked at the back post. The decision left Martinez and his manager Michael Carrick baffled in their post-match interviews.
And a Pro Ref spokesperson said in a statement on Sunday night: "Following the incident in the 60th minute of Sunday's Premier League fixture between Manchester United and Manchester City at Old Trafford, we can provide clarification regarding Erling Haaland’s awarded goal.
"The on-field decision was offside against Erling Haaland – that was checked by VAR and he was found to be in an onside position.
"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 recognise the likely impact of his position and should have recommended an on-field review.
"Contact has been made with Manchester United this evening to acknowledge what we deem is an error of judgement. A review of the incident will take place."
It is unusual for the Premier League's officiating body to admit their error so quickly. The statement came just hours after the Premier League Match Centre had declared via social media: "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 didn't play the ball."
The acknowledgement of a mistake was predicted by Sky Sports co-commentator Gary Neville. The United legend said on their broadcast: "They're the words that I think – emphatically – means we will see an apology from Pro Ref.
"There is no doubt that Enzo is attempting to play the ball and putting Lisandro Martinez off. It's a really strange one. They'll recognise they got that wrong. The question is does Fernandez, who is offside, stop Martinez getting the ball? He does."