The governing body for referees in English football, Professional Game Referees (formerly known as PGMO), has publicly acknowledged a mistake in the decision that awarded Manchester City a 1-0 win over Manchester United at Old Trafford. In a statement issued only a few hours after the match, the organization said it had contacted United to admit an "error of judgment" and conceded that the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) should have prompted an on‑field review of Erling Haaland's decisive strike. According to Sky Sports News, United have accepted the apology but do not intend to pursue further action against Pro Ref, despite remaining deeply frustrated by the incident.
The club praised the efforts of former Premier League referee Howard Webb and the Pro Ref team for reaching out, explaining the mistake and offering a formal apology. The controversy centers on the goal that initially appeared to be disallowed for off‑side on the pitch. VAR intervened and overturned the on‑field call, allowing Haaland’s finish to stand.
The VAR officials argued that the forward was on‑side because Manchester United defender Patrick Dorgu had played him on. However, they also noted that City midfielder Enzo Fernandez was in an off‑side position when he attempted to play the ball before it reached Haaland. Although Fernandez never actually touched the ball, his movement was deemed to have interfered with United defender Lisandro Martínez’s ability to defend the back‑post effort. Under the Laws of the Game, such interference can be sufficient to keep a goal disallowed, even if the player does not make contact with the ball.
The VAR panel, however, concluded that because Fernandez did not play the ball, the off‑side offence was "subjective" and should not have nullified the goal. In hindsight, the panel admitted that it failed to appreciate the likely impact of Fernandez’s positioning and therefore should have recommended an on‑field review.
A Pro Ref spokesperson explained the situation in detail: "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 Fernandez did not play the ball and therefore that makes 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, which oversees officiating across the Premier League, the Championship, League One, League Two, the National League, the Women's Super League and the U21 Premier League 2, is led by Howard Webb. The body rebranded from PGMO to Professional Game Referees during the summer, aiming to increase transparency and accountability within English football.
The Premier League Match Centre posted on X (formerly Twitter) that VAR had checked the referee’s original call of "no goal for off‑side" and determined Haaland to be on‑side, subsequently awarding the goal. Their statement emphasized that while Fernandez was in an off‑side position, he did not play the ball, which they argued justified the decision.
This explanation sparked a heated debate among pundits and former players. Sky Sports analyst Gary Neville, who was providing co‑commentary at the time of the goal, argued that the VAR officials were "wrong" to allow the goal. Neville predicted an apology from Pro Ref, stating, "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 elaborated on his podcast, accusing the refereeing body of ignoring the rule and "digging themselves a bigger hole" with their Match Centre statement. He called for a retraction, insisting the decision was inconsistent with the established off‑side law. Lisandro Martínez, the United defender directly affected by the incident, echoed the sentiment in his post‑match interview, saying, "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 [officials] doing this kind of mistake in the Premier League is unacceptable.
We have to go home with this injustice." Former City defender Micah Richards dismissed the Match Centre’s rationale, labeling it "nonsense". He affirmed that Fernandez was clearly attempting to play the ball and that such a slight movement can be decisive for a defender.
"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," Richards said. Roy Keane added his perspective, arguing that Fernandez’s interference should have been penalised and that United were unfairly punished for maintaining a solid defensive line.
Jamie Carragher, former Liverpool defender, also condemned the ruling, describing it as "a bad one" and suggesting that officials have become overly fixated on Haaland’s on‑side status while overlooking Fernandez’s impact. The incident has been compared to a previous VAR error involving Liverpool’s Luis Diaz, whose goal against Tottenham was incorrectly ruled out for off‑side. Carragher believes the Manchester United case is even more egregious because it occurred in a high‑stakes derby with only one goal deciding the match. In summary, Pro Ref has admitted an error in the VAR process that led to Haaland’s winning goal being allowed.
While Manchester United have accepted the apology, the episode has reignited debate over VAR’s application of the off‑side rule and the need for clearer guidelines to prevent similar controversies in future high‑profile fixtures.