The complete audio recording of Michael Oliver’s exchange with VAR has now emerged following Erling Haaland’s incorrectly awarded winning goal for Manchester City against Manchester United, providing revealing insight into how the controversial decision was reached.
United appeared to have a major advantage in Sunday’s contentious Manchester derby when Phil Foden received a straight red card for kicking out at Bruno Fernandes midway through the opening half.
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Despite being reduced to ten men, City remained resilient and eventually broke the deadlock shortly after the hour mark when Haaland guided the ball past Senne Lammens from an extremely tight angle, silencing the Old Trafford crowd.
The goal, scored in the 60th minute, was initially ruled out because Haaland appeared to be in an offside position when Josko Gvardiol’s deflected delivery from the left found its way towards the Norwegian.
VAR Matt Donohue subsequently overturned Oliver’s original call after a closer review showed that United defender Patrick Dorgu’s extended right foot had played Haaland onside.
🚨 BREAKING! 🤯
VAR’s audio for Erling Haaland’s goal against Manchester United. 🎙️
What do you think? 🤔 pic.twitter.com/oc2SGArjjR
— Polymarket FC (@PolymarketFC) September 15, 2026
However, Donohue and the VAR team failed to account for the influence of City summer signing Enzo Fernandez, who was in an offside position inside the penalty area.
Fernandez appeared to interfere with the play by attracting the attention of fellow Argentine Lisandro Martinez as he attempted to reach the ball with a diving header, ultimately leaving Haaland free at the far post.
Pro Ref, previously known as PGMOL, later admitted that an ‘error of judgement’ had occurred when Haaland’s goal was allowed to stand. The strike ultimately proved decisive as City secured a 1-0 victory over last season’s Premier League runners-up.
‘Following the incident in the 60th minute of Sunday’s Premier League fixture between Manchester United and Manchester City at Old Trafford, we can provide clarification regarding Erling Haaland’s awarded goal,’ the statement from Pro Ref, formerly PGMOL, read.
‘The on-field decision was offside against Erling Haaland – that was checked by VAR and he was found to be in an onside position.
‘In the same attack, 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.’
Pro Ref continued: ‘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.’
Two days later, the Premier League revealed the conversation between the officials, showing how Fernandez’s involvement was missed before the incorrect decision was reached.
The entire hurried exchange was broadcast on the latest episode of Match Officials Mic’d Up, where the full sequence can be viewed.
### Full transcript of VAR’s conversation with Michael Oliver
VAR: Checking the on-field decision of offside against Haaland…. is that definitely around frame two?
REPLAY OPERATOR: I can show you this here [Gvardiol crossing for Haaland].
VAR: Wide angle, I want to see there’s no players… he’s tight, Genius (semi-automated offside technology – SAOT). Genius, please.
REF: Deflection on the cross.
VAR: Confirmed.
SAOT: Okay, yeah, we’ve got a green close onside for that ball to Haaland. The decision may change around the kick point. Can I confirm you’re happy with these players?
VAR: I’m happy with the players, yeah.
SAOT: Okay, in to check the kick point. Standby…
VAR: Ball’s not near the foot here, yeah.
SAOT: Recommendation of onside [for Haaland].
VAR: Okay, so he’s onside. So, we now need to check the full APP (attacking possession phase). Back to Hawk-Eye.
VAR: Michael [Oliver], Haaland’s in an onside position but I need to check the full APP, now standby… Haaland’s clearly onside. Roll it all the way through, roll it all the way through. Let’s go, let’s go, let’s go, let’s go. That’s fine.
VAR: Go back just to check [Iliman] Ndiaye wasn’t offside. Sorry, my apologies. Yeah, it’s fine. Go, go, go! Let’s go, should be a goal. All the way into the back of the net now… quick, quick quick, let’s go.
VAR: Deflection, onside. No touch there, confirm no touch. Clear gap. There’s not a touch there, is there? Another angle? Roll it through, roll it through. Goal.
VAR: Michael, confirming that you need to change your decision to goal. Haaland is in an onside position. Final decision is goal, check complete.
Howard Webb appeared on the programme alongside Michael Owen and acknowledged that VAR had failed to properly examine Fernandez’s position during the build-up.
‘I was really disappointed with this outcome. We all are,’ referees’ chief Webb – who refereed the 2010 World Cup final and officiated in the Premier League from 2003 to 2014 – said.
‘None more so than the officials themselves. They take a lot of personal pride in what they do and they’re obviously hurting now, having fallen short in this situation.
‘They’ll not be officiating again until after the international break.’
Webb explained that the VAR official became overly focused on Haaland’s positioning during the review.
‘The VAR gets super-focused on Haaland. He establishes he’s onside, he thinks that’s a good goal.
‘He doesn’t truly evaluate the full impact of Fernandez’s position. He has a look to see if he touches the ball, because then that relates to potentially knocking it to Haaland, who goes on to score.
‘In that moment, he gets tunnel vision. It’s down to the rest of his team to pull him out of that tunnel, and unfortunately, that didn’t happen on this occasion.’
Michael Carrick, speaking to reporters following another disappointing result for United, called on his players to quickly put the controversy behind them despite their frustration over Haaland’s goal.
‘We’ve got two games coming up this week, and it’s part of it, moving on quickly,’ the United head coach told reporters.
‘We haven’t got as many points as we would have liked at this point, for sure. There’s no getting away from that.
‘But we don’t need the international break or a restart. We’ve just got to move on and get winning again.’
Martinez also acknowledged that he was finding it difficult to ‘control’ his emotions when questioned about the goal immediately after the derby.
‘He [Haaland] was there. I went to him because he was there in front of me, so that’s why Haaland was free at the back,’ he said in his post-match interview with Sky Sports.
‘I want to control myself now but it’s so hard. It’s so hard because you lose. You lose a derby, you lose three points at home.
‘Every season, they come to our club and there are discussions about the rules. Then, after, five or six people make this kind of mistake in the Premier League.
‘I say this because it’s the best league in the world. You have the best teams in the world, the best players in the world, and now we have to go home with this injustice.
‘It’s difficult because I had two players there and Haaland was behind. I was 50-50 and I had to take the first guy in front. So if he’s not there, you go to Haaland. It’s as simple as that.’
The defeat leaves United with just four points from their first four Premier League fixtures, with the club currently sitting 13th in the standings.
The Red Devils are scheduled to face Brighton at home this evening before returning to league action on Sunday, when they travel to Fulham.
