The professional refereeing organization known as Pro Ref has publicly admitted that it made a mistake when it sanctioned Manchester City’s winning goal against Manchester United at Old Trafford. In a brief statement issued only a few hours after the match, Pro Ref said it had contacted United officials to acknowledge an "error of judgment" and conceded that the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) should have recommended an on‑field review of Erling Haaland’s strike. According to Sky Sports News, Manchester United have now been offered an apology for the faulty VAR decision that ultimately decided the 1‑0 result.
The controversy centres on the fact that Haaland’s goal was first ruled out for off‑side by the on‑field referee, only to be reversed after a VAR check. The VAR officials concluded that United defender Patrick Dorgu had played Haaland on‑side, but they overlooked the position of City midfielder Enzo Fernández, who was standing in an off‑side area when the ball was played. Even though Fernández did not make contact with the ball, his movement was judged to have interfered with United defender Lisandro Martínez’s ability to defend the back‑post finish. Under the Laws of the Game, a player in an off‑side position can be penalised if he obstructs an opponent’s line of sight or otherwise impacts play, regardless of whether he touches the ball.
In this instance, the VAR panel failed to recognise that Fernández’s positioning should have led to the goal being disallowed. A Pro Ref spokesperson elaborated on the incident, saying: "The on‑field decision was off‑side against Erling Haaland – that was checked by VAR and he was found to be on‑side. In the same attack it was established that Enzo Fernández did not play the ball, making any off‑side 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." Pro Ref, formerly known as the Professional Game Match Officials (PGMO) before a summer rebrand, is overseen by former Premier League referee Howard Webb and is responsible for officiating England’s top four men’s divisions, the National League, the Women’s Super League and the U21 Premier League 2.
The Premier League Match Centre posted on X that VAR had "checked the referee’s call of no goal for off‑side – and determined that Haaland was in an on‑side position and recommended that the goal be awarded. The VAR also deemed that while in an off‑side position, Fernández didn’t play the ball." This explanation focused heavily on Fernández’s lack of touch, but replays from the VAR review showed that the officials were primarily looking for a deliberate attempt to play the ball, not the broader impact of his positioning. The off‑side rule is clear: a player can be penalised for being off‑side even if he does not touch the ball, provided he interferes with an opponent’s ability to play the ball.
In this case, Fernández’s proximity to Martínez arguably prevented the defender from making a clean challenge on Haaland’s finish. Former United defender Gary Neville, who was providing co‑commentary for Sky Sports, argued at the time that the VAR decision was "wrong" and predicted an apology from Pro Ref. Neville told Sky Sports, "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." Neville later expanded on his view in a podcast, stating, "I think they are ignoring the rule. They are digging themselves a bigger hole with the Match Centre statement. I'm really surprised they put that out.
They will have to retract that." Lisandro Martínez echoed the sentiment in his post‑match interview, insisting the goal should not have stood. "Every season the officials come to our club and spend an hour explaining the rules and they look so confident with that. Then after, five or six people doing this kind of mistake in the Premier League is unacceptable. We have to go home with this injustice," he said.
Former City defender Micah Richards dismissed the Match Centre’s justification as "nonsense," insisting that Fernández was clearly attempting to play the ball. "One hundred per cent he is.
I think it's been a bad day for referees and VAR. They got the Phil Foden decision wrong, and they got this decision wrong.
How can you not say Enzo Fernández is challenging for the ball – of course he is!" Richards added, noting that even a slight movement by a defender can alter a striker’s chance. Roy Keane also weighed in, arguing that Fernández’s presence interfered with United’s defensive line. "Fernández is interfering with play. Basically, United have been punished for holding a good line.
When you are in that position, you are impacting the game. You're in the middle of the box, you're going for the ball. Their line is good. Fernández is off‑side, and he goes to play the ball, so United are getting punished for good defending." Jamie Carragher, former Liverpool defender, described the decision as "a bad one" and suggested that officials have become overly fixated on Haaland’s on‑side status while neglecting the impact of Fernández’s positioning.
He compared the incident to a previous VAR error involving Liverpool’s Luis Diaz, concluding that the Manchester derby mistake was arguably the more serious because it decided the only goal in a globally watched match. In summary, Pro Ref has recognised that its VAR assessment was flawed, contacted Manchester United to apologise, and pledged a review of the incident. The episode has reignited debate over VAR protocols, the interpretation of off‑side interference, and the consistency of officiating in high‑stakes Premier League fixtures. The football community continues to call for clearer guidelines and better communication to avoid similar controversies in the future.