Manchester City beat Manchester United 1-0 at Old Trafford on Sunday. By Sunday night, the people who run English refereeing admitted the winning goal should not have stood.
Pro Ref released a statement hours after full time, calling the decision on Erling Haaland’s 60th-minute winner an “error of judgement.” Manchester United received an apology. The scoreline stays exactly the same.
Pro Ref confirmed that VAR should have sent Haaland’s goal to an on-field review. Manchester City’s Enzo Fernandez stood in an offside position that pulled two United defenders out of position.
| What happened | Detail |
|---|---|
| Final score | Man Utd 0-1 Man City, Old Trafford, September 13, 2026 |
| Disputed goal | Erling Haaland, 60th minute, flagged offside then overturned by VAR |
| Pro Ref verdict | “Error of judgement.” VAR should have recommended a review |
| Man City’s situation | Played from the 23rd minute with 10 men after Phil Foden’s red card |
How Enzo Fernandez Got Away With It
Video review checked whether Haaland himself was offside. He was not. Patrick Dorgu’s positioning played him level, and that part of the call held up.
Nobody checked what Fernandez was doing six yards out. He was in an offside position, going for the same cross, and Manchester United defender Lisandro Martinez left his post to mark him.
Under the offside law, a player does not need to touch the ball to be flagged. Distracting a defender or a goalkeeper is enough on its own.
Martinez said as much afterward. “He was there! I went to him because he was in front of me,” he said. “That’s why Haaland was free at the back.”
“Five or six people doing this kind of mistake in the Premier League is unacceptable,” Martinez said of the officiating crew. “We have to go home with this injustice.”
A Derby That Was Already Boiling Over
The VAR call was not even the first flashpoint. Bruno Fernandes fouled Foden in the 23rd minute, then kicked out at him on the ground. Foden kicked back and picked up a straight red for violent conduct.
Sky Sports pundits Roy Keane and Micah Richards both said the referee sent off the wrong man. “Bruno’s the one who’s violent here,” Keane said. Richards agreed, adding that Fernandes “started it.”
City still had to find a winner a man down, chasing a match United controlled for long spells. Marcus Rashford clipped the post in first-half stoppage time, and Kobbie Mainoo did the same in the 51st minute. Gianluigi Donnarumma had to deny Bryan Mbeumo late on to protect it.
Gary Neville put it plainly on Sky Sports. “When they look back on this, they will recognise they got this wrong,” he said, and Pro Ref admitted exactly that within hours.
The Result Still Counts, and Haaland Still Made History
Nothing here gets overturned. The Premier League does not replay matches over refereeing errors, and Pro Ref’s statement changes zero points in the table.
Haaland’s goal also made him the outright top scorer in Manchester derby history. He has nine now, passing Wayne Rooney and Sergio Aguero, who were tied at eight.
City stayed perfect through four games, level with Arsenal at the top of the table. It’s their seventh time winning all four opening fixtures in a season, a new Premier League record past Chelsea’s six.
Manager Enzo Maresca credited the response to going down to ten men. He said winning with 10 men already felt special. “It was even more special when it’s a Manchester derby, for the fans, for the players and the coaching staff,” he added.
United fans will remember the officiating. Everyone outside Old Trafford will mostly remember the number next to Haaland’s name, and that gap over Rooney and Aguero only grows from here.
