The body responsible for Premier League referees admitted an error in assessing the incident from which Erling Haaland scored Manchester City’s 1-0 win over hosts Manchester United on Sunday in the Manchester derby, confirming that it had contacted United to acknowledge the error concerning the decisive goal.
United objected to Fernandez’s impact on the goal
The goal came in the 60th minute after the referee initially disallowed it for offside, before the video assistant referee recommended that it be awarded. Manchester United players’ objection focused on the presence of City midfielder Enzo Fernandez in an offside position, as they believed he affected the attack despite not touching the ball before it reached Haaland.
The refereeing body said the video assistant referee failed to notice the potential impact of Fernandez’s position and should have invited the referee to review the incident on the pitchside monitor before making the final decision. Manchester United defender Lisandro Martinez described the awarding of the goal as “unjust.”
Carrick and Maresca criticise decisions in Manchester derby
Team manager Michael Carrick also expressed confusion and concern over the decision, saying he did not understand how the officials had assessed the incident. Manchester City played most of the match with 10 men after Phil Foden was sent off in the 23rd minute for kicking Bruno Fernandez. City players protested the decision, while manager Enzo Maresca called for the Manchester United captain to be sent off as well over the incident.
Despite being reduced to 10 men, City held on to their lead and moved to 12 points from four consecutive wins, level with Arsenal at the top. Maresca said the red card had changed the game plan, praising his players’ effort, spirit and unity in his first Manchester derby win since taking charge of the team after Pep Guardiola.
