The governing body for English football referees, Pro Ref, 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 just a few hours after the match, Pro Ref confirmed that it had reached out to Manchester 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 been handed an apology for the faulty VAR call, but the club has decided not to pursue any further action against the refereeing body, despite lingering frustration.
The club expressed appreciation for the efforts made by Howard Webb and the Pro Ref team to explain and apologise for the incident. The controversy centres on Haaland's goal, which was initially ruled out for off‑side by the on‑field officials. The VAR intervention then reversed the decision, deeming the Norwegian forward on‑side.
The VAR panel argued that Manchester United defender Patrick Dorgu had played Haaland on‑side, while Manchester City midfielder Enzo Fernández was positioned off‑side when he attempted to play the ball before it reached Haaland. Even though Fernández never actually touched 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, such interference should have kept the goal disallowed, because a player can be penalised for off‑side even without making contact with the ball if they obstruct an opponent. A Pro Ref spokesperson elaborated on the incident, stating: "Following the 60th‑minute incident in Sunday's Premier League fixture at Old Trafford, we can clarify why Haaland's goal was awarded.
The on‑field decision initially marked the striker as off‑side, but VAR review showed him to be on‑side. In the same attacking move, it was determined that Enzo Fernández did not play the ball, making any off‑side offence subjective. However, the VAR failed to 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 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. The organization supervises refereeing across the four top 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 the VAR "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 Fernández was in an off‑side position, he didn't play the ball." This emphasis on Fernández not touching the ball aligned with the replay footage shown during the VAR review, which appeared to focus on whether the midfielder had made contact. Nevertheless, the off‑side rule is clear: a player can be penalised for off‑side even without touching the ball if they interfere with an opponent’s play. Former United defender Gary Neville, commenting live for Sky Sports, said the VAR officials were "wrong" to allow the goal.
He later 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 continued on his podcast, accusing the officials of ignoring the rule and digging "a bigger hole" with their Match Centre statement, expressing surprise at the wording and insisting that the explanation would need to be retracted. Lisandro Martínez himself, in the post‑match interview, argued that the goal should not have stood.
He told Sky Sports, "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 rationale as "nonsense," insisting that Fernández was clearly attempting to play the ball. "One hundred per cent he is," Richards said.
"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! I've been in that position as a defender where any slight movement can make the difference for going for the ball or not, so of course it affects him.
I just think they've got it so wrong." Roy Keane added his perspective, noting that Fernández was interfering with play and that United were being punished for maintaining a solid defensive 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," he said. Former Liverpool pundit Jamie Carragher also labelled the decision a "bad one," saying, "It looks off‑side. Haaland looks off‑side but we know he's not.
Then when you break it down, it is poor from the officials. It seems to me they've become obsessed with Haaland being on‑side. They haven't gone into as much detail with Fernández in the middle and understanding of his impact on it." Carragher drew a parallel with a previous VAR controversy involving Liverpool’s Luis Diaz, whose goal against Tottenham was incorrectly ruled out for off‑side.
He argued that the Manchester United incident was a far more serious error because it occurred in a high‑profile derby with the only goal of the match at stake. "It was a huge error in a huge game. One of the biggest games not just in our league, but around the world. There was only one goal in the game which makes it feel worse," he said, adding that the Liverpool incident was more of a communication slip, whereas the United‑City case was a fundamental misapplication of the law.
In summary, Pro Ref has admitted that its VAR officials failed to recommend an on‑field review of a situation where an off‑side player, Enzo Fernández, likely interfered with play. While Manchester United has accepted the apology, the episode has sparked a broader debate about VAR consistency, the interpretation of off‑side interference, and the need for clearer guidance to prevent similar high‑stakes errors in future fixtures.