England’s refereeing body, Pro Ref, formerly known as Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL), has admitted that a “refereeing error” was made in the decision to allow Erling Haaland’s goal that gave Manchester City a 1-0 victory over Manchester United in the Manchester Derby at Old Trafford.
Haaland scored in the 60th minute after connecting with Joško Gvardiol’s cross. The goal was initially ruled out for offside before VAR intervened and determined that Haaland was in an onside position.
However, Enzo Fernández was in an offside position and attempted to reach the ball before Haaland, although he did not make contact with it. Pro Ref has admitted that VAR failed to properly assess whether Fernández’s position had influenced the play and should have recommended that the referee conduct an on-field review of the incident.
Pro Ref said it had already contacted Manchester United after the match to acknowledge the error and promised to review the incident. Manchester United head coach Michael Carrick also expressed his concerns over the decision