There is a privately-held view at Manchester City that the VAR controversy surrounding Erling Haaland's winning goal in Sunday's Manchester derby amounts to justice eventually being served, as per a new report.
Erling Haaland scored a controversial winner in Sunday's Manchester derby at Old Trafford.
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The goal, which settled a fiery afternoon at Old Trafford in City's favour, immediately divided opinion inside the stadium and across the country in the hours that followed, with Pro Ref subsequently acknowledging a procedural error of judgement by the VAR operative during the check on the goal.
Haaland latched onto the end of a deflected cross from Josko Gvardiol in the 60th minute, finishing into the net at the back post. The on-field decision was initially offside against Haaland himself, but VAR confirmed the Norway international was in an onside position, with Patrick Dorgu's presence playing him on.
The subsequent attention fell on Enzo Fernandez, who was positioned in what appeared to be an offside position in the same phase of play before the cross was delivered.
Pro Ref acknowledged that Fernandez did not play the ball, making any offside offence on his part subjective. However, they confirmed the VAR should have recommended an on-field review to assess the likely impact of Fernandez's position on the goalkeeper or defenders, and failed to do so.
Contact was made with Manchester United to acknowledge what Pro Ref described as "an error of judgement", with a review of the incident to follow.
Enzo Maresca was unequivocal in his defence of the goal, insisting in post-match media duties that Fernandez did not interfere with play and that the goal was "completely clear".
Playing with 10 men for more than 70 minutes, Manchester City triumphed over Manchester United at Old Trafford and painted the town blue on Sunday evening.
cityxtra.co.uk Five Things Learned: Man United 0-1 Man City (Premier League) Playing with 10 men for more than 70 minutes, Manchester City triumphed over Manchester United at Old Trafford and painted the town blue on Sunday evening.
Report: City Feel Justice Was Served After January 2023 Precedent
According to Mike Keegan of Mail Sport, there is a privately-held view at City that justice has eventually been served - pointing to January 2023's Manchester derby at Old Trafford, in which Marcus Rashford was deemed not to be interfering with play for Bruno Fernandes' equaliser - a call made in circumstances that those inside the Etihad Stadium consider directly analogous to Sunday's controversy. Manchester United went on to win that game 2-1.
It is worth noting that the parallel is not an official Manchester City position and Maresca himself has not ventured near it publicly.
Whether the January 2023 comparison holds precisely is a matter of interpretation, but the sentiment it reflects - that the balance of refereeing fortune across this fixture has not always tilted in City's direction - is one that will resonate with supporters who lived through that evening at Old Trafford.
Pro Ref's review will determine whether the correct outcome was reached on Sunday despite the procedural failing, or whether the absence of the on-field review left a genuinely uncertain question unanswered. On their own evidence, they do not contend that the result should have been different.
Manchester City host Norwich City in the Carabao Cup third round on Thursday night before Sunderland visit the Etihad Stadium on Sunday, with Phil Foden suspended following his red card for violent conduct against Bruno Fernandes.