The governing body for referees in English football, known as 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 released only a few hours after the match, Pro Ref confirmed that it had contacted Manchester United to admit an "error of judgment" and admitted that the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) system should have prompted an on‑field review of Erling Haaland's decisive goal. According to Sky Sports News, United have received an apology for the faulty VAR ruling, but the club has decided not to pursue any further action against the officiating body, despite expressing considerable frustration over the incident. The Red Devils appreciated the efforts made by former Premier League referee Howard Webb and the Pro Ref team to explain and apologise for the error.
The controversy centres on the moment when Haaland's strike was initially flagged for off‑side by the on‑field officials, only for VAR to overturn the call and allow the goal to stand. VAR officials argued that the striker was on‑side because Manchester United defender Patrick Dorgu had played the ball to him. However, they also noted that City midfielder Enzo Fernández was in an off‑side position when he attempted to play the ball before it reached Haaland. Even though Fernández never made contact with the ball, his movement appeared to interfere with United defender Lisandro Martínez, who was marking the Norwegian forward at the far post.
Under the Laws of the Game, such interference can be sufficient to deem a player off‑side, meaning the goal should have been disallowed. The incident sparked a heated debate about the interpretation of the off‑side rule and the role of VAR in assessing "active involvement" in play.
A Pro Ref spokesperson elaborated on the incident, stating: "The on‑field decision was off‑side against Erling Haaland – that was checked by VAR and he was found to be in an on‑side position. In the same attack, it was established that Enzo Fernández 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, formerly known as the Professional Game Match Officials (PGMO) before a summer rebrand, is overseen by Howard Webb and is responsible for officiating across the four men’s top divisions, the National League, the Women’s Super League and the U21 Premier League 2. The body’s admission of fault is relatively rare and underscores the growing scrutiny of VAR decisions in high‑stakes matches. The Premier League Match Centre posted an explanation on X (formerly Twitter), stating: "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 was awarded.
The VAR also deemed that while in an off‑side position, Fernández didn't play the ball." This wording placed heavy emphasis on Fernández's lack of contact, a point that many pundits and former players argued missed the broader principle that a player can be penalised for off‑side even without touching the ball if his presence influences an opponent. Former Manchester United defender Gary Neville, speaking on Sky Sports commentary at the time, called the VAR decision "wrong" and predicted that Pro Ref would eventually issue an apology.
Neville later reiterated his criticism on his podcast, saying: "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." United defender Lisandro Martínez echoed the sentiment in a post‑match interview, insisting the goal should not have counted: "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 justification, labeling it "nonsense" and affirming 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!
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, stating that Fernández's interference should have resulted in the goal being disallowed: "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, also described the decision as "a bad one," noting that the focus seemed to be on Haaland being on‑side while neglecting the impact of Fernández's movement: "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." The incident has been compared to a previous VAR controversy involving Liverpool's Luis Díaz, whose goal against Tottenham was incorrectly ruled out for off‑side. Carragher argued that the Manchester United‑Manchester City case was a bigger error because it occurred in a globally watched derby with only one goal deciding the match. He said: "What happened yesterday was a huge error and it was 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. I think it's different to the Liverpool one because you don't expect that not to be a goal.
They confirm it's a goal, really. I'm still going for the Liverpool one being worse." In summary, Pro Ref has admitted that its VAR officials failed to recommend an on‑field review when they should have, effectively acknowledging a misapplication of the off‑side rule. While Manchester United have accepted the apology and chosen not to pursue further sanctions, the episode has reignited calls for clearer guidelines and better training for VAR teams to ensure that future high‑profile matches are decided on the field rather than by controversial technological interventions.