According to British media, in a statement issued just hours after Man City's victory, Pro Ref revealed that they had contacted Man United to admit "errors in judgment" and that VAR "should have proposed reconsidering the situation on the field" regarding Erling Haaland's goal in the 60th minute.
Initially, this striker's goal was disallowed for offside on the field, but VAR reversed the decision.
VAR referees determined that Haaland was not offside after a touch of the ball by defender Patrick Dorgu of Man United. However, Enzo Fernandez of Man City was offside when he tried to pass the ball before it reached Haaland's feet.
Although he did not touch the ball, Fernandez's movement seemed to have affected Lisandro Martinez's defense on the home team's side before Haaland scored in the far corner, which according to football rules should have led to the goal being disallowed.
A spokesman for Pro Ref said: "After the incident in the 60th minute of the Premier League match on Sunday between Man United and Man City at Old Trafford, we would like to give an explanation for Erling Haaland's recognized goal.
The initial decision on the field was offside for Erling Haaland - but VAR checked again and determined he was not offside.
In the same attack, it was determined that Enzo Fernandez did not touch the ball and therefore, any offside error was subjective. However, in this case, VAR did not recognize the possible impact from Enzo's position and should have asked to reconsider the situation on the field.
We contacted Man United tonight to acknowledge what we consider a mistake in judgment. A review of the case will be conducted.
Pro Ref is the new brand name of the prestigious PGMOL (Professional Game Match Officials Limited) organization. The organization has renamed and comprehensively reformed its operating structure from the 2026-2027 season. Former Premier League referee Howard Webb heads this agency.
Before conceding a goal, Man United played with more players from the 22nd minute after Foden's red card. They had two shots on the post and pressed at the beginning of the 2nd half. The result of losing 0-1 made Man United only have 4 points after 4 rounds in the Premier League, 8 points behind the two leading teams Arsenal and Man City.
