The professional refereeing organization, 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 only a few hours after the match, Pro Ref confirmed that it had reached out to 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 goal.
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. United’s representatives expressed appreciation for the efforts of Howard Webb and the Pro Ref team in offering an apology and explaining the nature of the mistake.
The controversy centres on Haaland's strike, which was first ruled out for off‑side by the on‑field referee. The VAR then overturned that decision, declaring the goal valid. The VAR officials argued that Manchester United defender Patrick Dorgu had kept Haaland onside, yet they also noted that City midfielder Enzo Fernández was positioned off‑side when he attempted to play the ball before it reached Haaland. Although Fernández never made contact with the ball, his movement appeared to interfere with United defender Lisandro Martínez’s ability to defend the back‑post finish.
Under the Laws of the Game, such interference should have resulted in the goal being disallowed. A Pro Ref spokesperson explained the sequence of events in detail: "Following the incident in the 60th minute of Sunday's Premier League fixture between Manchester United and Manchester City at Old Trafford, we can provide clarification regarding Erling Haaland's awarded goal. The on‑field decision was off‑side against 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 the governing body for refereeing in English football.
It oversees the four men’s top divisions, the National League, the Women’s Super League and the U21 Premier League 2. The organisation is led by former Premier League referee Howard Webb.
The Premier League Match Centre posted on X (formerly Twitter) to justify the decision, 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 emphasis on Fernández not touching the ball aligned with the replay footage shown during the VAR review, which seemed focused on whether the midfielder had made contact. Nevertheless, the off‑side rule is explicit: 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 positioning arguably impeded Martínez’s line of sight and movement, a factor that should have been considered under the interference clause.
Former United defender and pundit Gary Neville, speaking on Sky Sports co‑commentary at the time, described the VAR’s decision as "wrong". He later predicted an apology from Pro Ref, saying: "We will see an apology from Pro Ref. There is no doubt that Enzo is attempting to play the ball and putting Lisandro Martínez 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 deeper hole with the Match Centre’s statement: "I'm really surprised they put that out. They will have to retract that." Lisandro Martínez himself, in his post‑match interview, argued that 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." Former City defender Micah Richards dismissed the Match Centre’s explanation 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!" Roy Keane added his perspective, stating that Fernández was interfering with play and that United were unfairly penalised for maintaining a solid 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." Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher also labelled the decision "a bad one": "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 compared the incident to a previous VAR error involving Liverpool’s Luis Diaz, when a goal against Tottenham was incorrectly ruled out for off‑side. He argued that the City‑United mistake was more serious because it occurred in a high‑stakes, globally watched derby with only one goal deciding the match. "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," he said. In summary, Pro Ref has admitted that its VAR officials failed to recognise the impact of Enzo Fernández’s off‑side position on the play and should have called for an on‑field review. While Manchester United have accepted the apology, the episode has reignited debate over VAR protocols, the interpretation of the off‑side rule, and the consistency of officiating in high‑profile Premier League fixtures.
The incident serves as a reminder that even with advanced technology, human judgment remains a critical component of football’s decision‑making process.