Refereeing decisions steal the spotlight in contentious Manchester derby

Erling Haaland’s hugely controversial second-half strike was enough for ten-man Manchester City to prevail in their first Manchester derby without Pep Guardiola for more than ten years.

The Norwegian striker looked to have swept home Josko Gvardiol’s low cross on the hour mark only for the linesman to flag for offside. Following an intervention from VAR the decision was overturned and the goal was awarded, with Haaland adjudged to have been played onside by the outstretched boot of Manchester United defender Patrick Dorgu.

However, the real issue appeared to be whether new City midfielder Enzo Fernandez, who was clearly in an offside position, had interfered with play by attempting a diving header as the ball came across the face of goal. Fernandez failed to make contact but his presence in the box and movement towards the ball seemed to distract United defender Lisandro Martinez, leaving Haaland open at the back post.

It’s really worrying for me if that’s how [the offside law] is interpreted

Michael Carrick, Manchester United Manager

An explanation regarding the decision to give the goal was provided during the game by the official Premier League Match Centre on X, which stated: “VAR checked the referee’s call of no goal for offside – and determined that Haaland was in an onside position and recommended that the goal was awarded.

“The VAR also deemed that while in an offside position, Fernandez didn’t play the ball.”

What this explanation seems to leave out is that, per the laws of the game, Fernandez doesn’t have to make any kind of contact with the ball in order to be offside. He can still be offside if he is “clearly attempting to play a ball which is close when this action impacts on an opponent.”

United manager Michael Carrick was understandably aggrieved after the game, saying: “It’s really worrying for me if that’s how [the offside law] is interpreted. It’s a staggering decision I have to say.

“It’s not going to change the season but it’s [had] a major impact on the game today and it was a massive game.”

Contact has been made with Manchester United this evening to acknowledge what we deem is an error of judgement

Pro Ref (Professional Game Referees)

Hours after those comments from Carrick the Premier League refereeing body Pro Ref released a statement clarifying the decision to award the goal: “It was established that Enzo Fernandez did not play the ball and therefore that makes any offside offence subjective, however, on this occasion, the VAR did not recognise the likely impact of his position and should have recommended an on-field review.

“Contact has been made with Manchester United this evening to acknowledge what we deem is an error of judgement. A review of the incident will take place.”

Fans of both Manchester clubs may recall a similar controversy surrounding United’s equalising goal in a 2-1 derby day win for the Red Devils back in 2023. On that occasion Marcus Rashford, who like Enzo Fernandez was clearly offside, appeared to run towards a through ball before leaving it at the last second for Bruno Fernandes to slot past Ederson. The debate around that goal was similarly contentious, with former City defender Manuel Akanji labelling it a “joke”.

Haaland’s winning goal was not the only piece of officiating that dominated discussions following the game. Many pundits and fans also questioned Phil Foden’s first-half red card which left City playing with 10 men for more than 70 minutes.

Receiving the ball deep in his own half, Foden was tripped by United captain Bruno Fernandes who then kicked the England international while he was on the ground. Clearly incensed by this, Foden kicked out at Fernandes’ midriff and was shown a straight red card by referee Michael Oliver.

The VAR officials for the game … have both been stood down from the next set of Premier League fixtures

The incident was checked by VAR who elected to stay with the on-field decision, meaning Fernandes escaped without a card. City manager Enzo Maresca agreed that Foden deserved a red card but took issue with Fernandes’ lack of punishment, saying in his post-match press conference: “I think Phil Foden’s red card is a red card, but I also think that in the same action it’s a red card for Bruno.”

The VAR officials for the game, Matt Donohue, and his assistant, Blake Antrobus, have both been stood down from the next set of Premier League fixtures.

Away from the refereeing decisions, the action on the Old Trafford pitch was relatively insipid. Playing most of the game with a man disadvantage, City were more than happy to sit back and challenge Carrick’s side to break them down. This has been an obvious flaw of United for a few years now and this game was no exception, bearing a strong resemblance to their 1-0 home loss to ten-man Everton under Ruben Amorim last November.

Remarkably, United have now lost three Premier League games in the last 10 months when their opposition has received a red card with the score at 0-0.