The governing body for English football referees, Professional Game Referees (formerly known as PGMO), has formally 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 contacted United officials to admit an "error of judgment" and conceded that the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) should have recommended an on‑field review of Erling Haaland's decisive strike. According to Sky Sports News, United have received an apology for the faulty VAR ruling, but the club has indicated that it will not pursue further action against the refereeing body, despite lingering frustration. United’s management expressed appreciation for the efforts made by former Premier League referee Howard Webb and the Pro Ref team to explain and apologise for the incident.
The controversy centres on Haaland’s goal, which was initially flagged for off‑side by the on‑field officials. After a VAR review, the decision was overturned and the goal stood. VAR officials concluded that Manchester United defender Patrick Dorgu had played Haaland on‑side. However, they also noted that Manchester City midfielder Enzo Fernández was in an off‑side position 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 can constitute an off‑side offence, which should have resulted in the goal being disallowed. The VAR panel failed to recognise the likely impact of Fernández’s positioning, prompting Pro Ref to acknowledge that an on‑field review was warranted. A Pro Ref spokesperson elaborated on the incident, stating: "Following the 60th‑minute incident in 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 on‑side. 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 judgment.
A review of the incident will take place." Pro Ref, which oversees refereeing across the four men’s top divisions, 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. The Premier League Match Centre posted on X (formerly Twitter) an explanation for 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 replays shown during the VAR review, which appeared to focus on whether the midfielder had made contact. Nevertheless, the off‑side rule is explicit: 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, commentating for Sky Sports, argued at the time that the VAR officials were "wrong" to allow Haaland’s effort. Neville later predicted that Pro Ref would issue an apology, 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 referees of ignoring the rule and digging a deeper hole with their official statement: "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, the United defender directly affected by the decision, echoed the sentiment in his post‑match interview, insisting 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 Manchester City defender Micah Richards dismissed the Match Centre’s rationale as "nonsense," insisting 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," Richards told Sky Sports. Roy Keane added his perspective, stating, "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 also labelled the decision a "bad one," noting the difficulty of reconciling Haaland’s apparent off‑side position with the final ruling. "It 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 said ahead of Monday Night Football. 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 argued that the Manchester United case was even more serious because it occurred in a high‑stakes derby with the only goal of the match, amplifying the sense of injustice. In summary, Pro Ref has admitted that its VAR officials failed to apply the off‑side rule correctly in the Haaland goal, and it has reached out to Manchester United to apologise for the oversight. While United have accepted the apology, the episode has sparked a broader debate about VAR consistency, the interpretation of off‑side interference, and the need for clearer guidelines to prevent similar controversies in future high‑profile fixtures.