The fallout from Manchester City’s dramatic 1-0 victory over Manchester United has intensified after the refereeing body responsible for Premier League officials stood down the VAR team involved in Erling Haaland’s controversial winning goal.
VAR official Matt Donohue and assistant VAR Blake Antrobus have been removed from the next round of Premier League fixtures following a review of the incident, with their availability for future appointments to be reconsidered after the international break.
The decision follows an admission from Pro Ref, the body overseeing refereeing in English football, that an “error of judgement” was made when Haaland’s goal was awarded in Sunday’s Manchester derby.
Why Haaland’s goal caused controversy
The decisive incident came in the 60th minute, with Manchester City already down to 10 men following Phil Foden’s dismissal in the first half.
Haaland finished from close range after Joško Gvardiol’s cross, but referee Michael Oliver initially ruled the goal out for offside.
A lengthy VAR review subsequently overturned the decision after semi-automated offside technology showed that Haaland himself was in an onside position, with Manchester United defender Patrick Dorgu playing him onside.
That, however, was only part of the incident.
City midfielder Enzo Fernández was also in an offside position and had moved towards the incoming cross in an attempt to play the ball. Although Fernández did not make contact, his movement brought him into the immediate area of the play and drew the attention of United defender Lisandro Martínez.
That is where the controversy shifted from Haaland’s position to the question of interference.
Pro Ref later acknowledged that VAR had failed to properly consider Fernández’s likely impact on the play and should have recommended that Oliver review the incident himself on the pitch.
Pro Ref admits mistake
In its explanation, Pro Ref said the VAR team correctly established that Haaland was onside.
However, it said Fernández’s position created a subjective offside question because he attempted to play the ball without actually touching it.
The refereeing body concluded that VAR failed to recognise the likely impact of Fernández’s position and should have sent Oliver to the pitchside monitor for an on-field review.
Pro Ref subsequently contacted Manchester United to acknowledge the mistake and announced that the incident would be reviewed.
The admission transformed what had initially been a contentious refereeing debate into an officially acknowledged error.
United left furious
Manchester United manager Michael Carrick criticised the decision after the match, describing the situation as worrying and questioning how a group of officials with access to multiple replay angles and technological assistance could reach the conclusion that the goal should stand.
Martínez was particularly frustrated by the role Fernández played in the sequence.
The United defender argued that he had moved towards Fernández because the City midfielder was attempting to reach the ball, leaving Haaland with more space at the far post.
For United, the issue was therefore not simply whether Haaland was onside. It was whether Fernández’s offside movement affected the defensive action sufficiently to constitute an offence.
City survived with 10 men
The controversy came against the backdrop of an extraordinary second half for Manchester City.
Foden had been sent off in the 23rd minute after reacting to a kick from Bruno Fernandes, leaving City with 10 men for more than an hour.
Despite the numerical disadvantage, City’s defence held firm after Haaland’s goal.
United struggled to turn their numerical advantage into sustained pressure, while City goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma produced a crucial late save to preserve the victory.
The result maintained City’s perfect start to the Premier League season, while the defeat left United with just four points from their opening four league matches.
VAR faces fresh questions
The decision to stand down Donohue and Antrobus is likely to intensify the wider debate over VAR’s role in the Premier League.
The technology is designed to correct clear and significant errors, but the Haaland incident exposed a different problem: a decision can involve several interconnected elements, and resolving one part of an offside situation does not necessarily settle the entire incident.
In this case, the technology established Haaland’s position, but Pro Ref acknowledged that the human assessment of Fernández’s involvement was not properly addressed.
That distinction is now at the centre of the controversy.
The officials’ removal also sends a clear message that accountability remains part of the Premier League’s response to significant VAR mistakes.
For Manchester United, however, the decision offers little consolation.
The result remains 1-0, the points remain with Manchester City, and the controversy surrounding the goal is now likely to continue long after the derby itself has ended.
