Erling Haaland found the net in controversial fashion as Manchester City surprisingly went ahead against Manchester United in the Premier League on Sunday afternoon.
Enzo Maresca’s side suffered a major blow when Phil Foden was shown a red card for kicking out at Bruno Fernandes during the first half, but the dismissal did little to prevent City from delivering an impressive display against the odds.
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The visitors seemed to draw confidence from the setback, defending resolutely against United before taking an unexpected lead when Haaland managed to squeeze a shot home from a difficult angle, despite seemingly being in an offside position.
The goal was eventually given after a tense and lengthy wait, sparking plenty of disagreement among supporters.
#MUNMCI – 59’ VAR OVERTURN
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. pic.twitter.com/TyTip3ACIh
— Premier League Match Centre (@PLMatchCentre) September 13, 2026
Haaland initially looked to have strayed beyond the last defender when the linesman’s flag went up to rule out his effort.
The first television replays failed to settle the matter, with the available sideline angle not being perfectly aligned with the action, making it difficult to determine whether the striker had been offside.
Michael Oliver delayed the restart while VAR reviewed the incident, and following a lengthy check, the original decision was overturned and the goal was awarded.
VAR determined that Haaland had remained onside when the ball was initially crossed into the area, with Patrick Dorgu playing him onside. However, the decision did not completely put an end to the controversy.
Another contentious aspect involved Enzo Fernandez, who moved towards the cross and appeared to distract Lisandro Martinez before Haaland finished at the far post.
While it was quickly established that Haaland himself was not in an illegal position, questions remained over whether Fernandez’s movement had enough of an influence to prevent the United defender from attempting to deal with the cross.
“I think when they look back at this, they will recognise they got it wrong,” claimed Gary Neville on co-commentary of the match in reference to the Fernandez involvement.
The Premier League, however, has sought to explain the decision by issuing an official statement concerning the officials’ ruling.
It read: “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.”
Manchester United and their supporters may still feel frustrated by the decision to award the goal when the relevant offside rules are considered.
The FA’s website, which references IFAB regulations, could potentially interpret Enzo Fernandez’s involvement as an offside offence, meaning the goal may have been expected to be disallowed.
IFAB states: “A player in an offside position at the moment the ball is played or touched* by a team-mate is only penalised on becoming involved in active play by:
“Interfering with play by playing or touching a ball passed or touched by a team-mate or
“Interfering with an opponent by:
“Preventing an opponent from playing or being able to play the ball by clearly obstructing the opponent’s line of vision.
“Challenging an opponent for the ball.
“Clearly attempting to play a ball which is close when this action impacts on an opponent or making an obvious action which clearly impacts on the ability of an opponent to play the ball.”
