Manchester City manager Enzo Maresca has described the controversial VAR decision that allowed Erling Haaland’s winning goal against Manchester United as part of football, despite the Premier League refereeing body later admitting that the decision was wrong.
City defeated United 1-0 at Old Trafford on Sunday, with Haaland scoring the only goal of the Manchester derby. The goal initially appeared to be offside before VAR overturned the decision and allowed it to stand.
The controversy centred not only on Haaland’s position but also on City teammate Enzo Fernandez. Although Haaland was eventually judged to be onside, Fernandez was in an offside position and attempted to play the ball during the build-up.
Pro Ref, the body responsible for Premier League refereeing, later acknowledged that VAR failed to properly assess Fernandez’s involvement. It said the incident should have resulted in an on-field review before the final decision was made.
Maresca, however, did not want the error to overshadow his team’s victory. He described such mistakes as part of football and maintained his focus on the result achieved by his players in a difficult derby.
The circumstances made City’s victory even more notable because the visitors played with 10 men for more than 70 minutes after Phil Foden was sent off following an altercation with Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes.
United were unable to take advantage of their numerical superiority and struggled to find an equaliser. City held on to claim the three points, with goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma also making important saves late in the match.
The refereeing controversy has nevertheless become one of the main talking points from the derby. Howard Webb, Pro Ref’s chief refereeing officer, later said the VAR team suffered from “tunnel vision”, focusing on Haaland’s position while failing to properly consider Fernandez’s involvement.
Following the admission, VAR official Matt Donohue and assistant VAR Blake Antrobus were stood down from Premier League duties until after the international break. Pro Ref also contacted Manchester United to acknowledge the mistake.
For City, the incident does not change the result recorded at Old Trafford, but for the Premier League’s refereeing authorities, it has reopened questions about how VAR officials assess complicated offside situations and whether the technology is being used as effectively as intended.
Maresca’s side therefore left Old Trafford with the victory, while the disputed goal continues to generate debate over the limits of VAR and the human decisions that remain at the centre of football officiating.
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