Erling Haaland's winning goal in Sunday's Manchester derby caused controversy after VAR overturned an initial offside call. The VAR officials deemed Haaland was played onside by Manchester United defender Patrick Dorgu. However, Manchester City's Enzo Fernandez was in an offside position as he attempted to play the ball before it reached Haaland.

This error led to the goal being awarded despite Fernandez's position. Pro Ref confirmed on Sunday night that an error of judgement was made. While acknowledging Fernandez was offside, the statement revealed the VAR did not recognise the likely impact of his position.

The overarching question of why the VAR failed to judge a player six yards from goal, making a diving header between two opponents, as impacting play remains unanswered. During Sky Sports match coverage, replays showed the VAR team scrutinising whether Fernandez touched the ball. This suggests the officials became distracted by a technicality, potentially overlooking the clear offside rule stipulation that a player can be offside regardless of touch.

According to Pro Ref, the initial decision was made against Haaland, who was onside. The review then moved to Fernandez, who was correctly deemed offside. The problem was the VAR apparently focused entirely on whether Fernandez touched the ball, failing to confirm the goal should have been sent for an on-field review regarding Fernandez's impact on play.