Former professional referee chief Howard Webb has openly criticised the VAR team for overlooking Enzo Fernandez's off‑side interference during Erling Haaland's decisive strike in the Manchester derby. Webb described the officials' approach as "tunnel vision" that zeroed in on Haaland and ignored the broader attacking possession phase, ultimately leading to a goal that should have been disallowed. Webb explained that the on‑field referee initially flagged Haaland for off‑side, but the VAR review reversed the decision, concluding that Haaland was on‑side by a margin of three centimetres.
The review, however, failed to consider that Fernandez, who was positioned off‑side, had dived for the ball and obstructed the defensive actions of Lisandro Martinez and Manchester United goalkeeper Senne Lammens. Even though Fernandez did not touch the ball, the laws of the game state that a player can be penalised for off‑side interference without making contact.
Webb said the VAR team confirmed there was "no touch" by Fernandez, yet they neglected the fact that his off‑side presence disrupted the defence and altered the natural course of play. In an interview with Mic'd Up, Webb said, "The on‑field decision was not about Fernandez; it was about Haaland. When the VAR started their check they saw Haaland was actually on‑side. The VAR got super focused on Haaland, established his on‑side status, and then ran through the full attacking possession phase (APP).
At that point they failed to fully evaluate Fernandez's impact. In that moment the VAR suffered tunnel vision, and the rest of the team did not pull him out of it. This goal should have been ruled out." Webb added that the error was deeply disappointing for the officials themselves, noting that they take personal pride in their work and would now be sidelined until after the international break.
He confirmed that the PRO Ref office had contacted Manchester United to acknowledge the mistake, shared the relevant audio and video footage, and promised a thorough review of the process that led to the faulty decision. According to Webb, the VAR protocol requires officials to examine the entire APP when an off‑side is in question. In this case, after confirming Haaland's on‑side position, the VAR should have looked at whether any off‑side player interfered with an opponent.
Fernandez's aggressive dive blocked Martinez from clearing the ball and limited Lammens' ability to react, which meets the criteria for off‑side interference even without ball contact. Webb stressed that the failure to recognise this nuance was a clear breakdown in the VAR system. The incident sparked a wave of criticism from pundits and former referees.
Sky Sports' Laura Hunter argued that simply admitting the mistake is not enough; a full‑scale review is required to restore confidence in the technology and the officials who operate it. She pointed out that the Premier League's match centre tweet claimed "VAR also deemed that while in an off‑side position, Enzo Fernandez didn't play the ball," effectively ignoring the broader definition of interference.
Hunter questioned whether Michael Oliver, the match referee, communicated with his linesmen to determine which player was actually flagged, suggesting that the entire chain of decision‑making was compromised. Sky Sports News' Kaveh Solhekol offered a more empathetic perspective, acknowledging that VAR officials are human and can make mistakes, especially under the pressure of a high‑stakes derby.
He noted that the mistake would likely haunt the VAR and his assistant for months, but also warned that such high‑profile errors raise fundamental questions about the reliability of video‑assisted officiating. If forensic‑level technology cannot prevent basic errors, its overall value comes into question. The controversy also highlighted a procedural oddity: the VAR took nearly three minutes to confirm the goal, a period during which casual viewers could have seen from a single replay that the goal should not have stood.
This prolonged deliberation amplified the sense of injustice among Manchester United supporters, who felt the outcome of the match was unfairly decided. In summary, Howard Webb's comments underscore a systemic issue within VAR operations: an over‑concentration on the striker's position at the expense of a comprehensive assessment of the entire attacking phase.
By missing Fernandez's off‑side interference, the officials allowed a goal that contravened the Laws of the Game. The incident has prompted calls for stricter protocols, better communication among officials, and perhaps a re‑evaluation of how much trust is placed in video technology to adjudicate split‑second decisions on the football field.