Referee body admits 'error' for Haaland goal in Manchester derby

The Professional Game Referees (Pro Ref) admitted on Sunday that their decision to allow Erling Haaland's goal in Manchester City's 1-0 victory over Manchester United was an error of judgment. City were down to ten men after Phil Foden's dismissal for kicking Bruno Fernandes, and Haaland scored a close-range finish from Josko Gvardiol's cross in the hour mark.

Initially, the goal was disallowed for offside against Haaland, but VAR overturned that decision, even though City midfielder Enzo Fernandez was in an offside position and failed to touch the ball.

Premier League Match Centre reported that VAR determined Haaland was in an onside position, and Fernandez did not play the ball. However, Pro Ref later emphasized that the VAR did not consider the likely impact of Fernandez's position and should have recommended an on-field review. Pro Ref contacted Manchester United to acknowledge the error and stated that a review of the incident would take place.

After the match, Manchester United manager Michael Carrick expressed concern over the officials' decision. Lisandro Martinez, United's defender, was at the center of the controversy. The Argentine alleged that the presence of his international teammate Enzo Fernandez, who was in an offside position, impacted his ability to play Haaland.

Martinez called the goal an "injustice" and criticized the team of officials for making such mistakes in the Premier League, stating that five or six people making such errors is unacceptable.