Manchester United manager Michael Carrick has questioned the referees’ interpretation of the offside rules after Erling Haaland’s controversial goal condemned United to a 1-0 defeat against Manchester City at Old Trafford. Haaland scored in the 60th minute after VAR overturned an initial offside decision, allowing City to take the lead in a match they won despite playing with 10 men for more than an hour. The decision centred on Enzo Fernández, who was in an offside position and attempted to play the ball during the build-up. Although the Manchester City midfielder did not make contact with it, his position brought him into the path of United defender Lisandro Martínez. Carrick expressed frustration after the match, questioning how officials could reach the decision despite the technology and additional officials available to review such incidents.

“It’s worrying,” Carrick said, questioning the interpretation of the incident and the support available to referees.

Carrick’s criticism was followed by an admission from Pro Ref, the body responsible for professional football refereeing in England. Pro Ref said VAR had correctly established that Haaland himself was in an onside position but failed to recognise the likely impact of Fernández’s position on the play. The refereeing body said VAR should have recommended that referee Michael Oliver review the incident on the pitchside monitor. Pro Ref described the decision as an “error of judgment” and said it had contacted Manchester United to acknowledge the mistake. The incident will now be reviewed. The admission, however, does not change the result. Manchester City retain the three points from their 1-0 victory.

The incident began when Joško Gvardiol’s cross was sent into the United penalty area. Haaland eventually finished at the far post, but the assistant referee initially flagged the striker for offside. VAR subsequently determined that Haaland was in an onside position, with United defender Patrick Dorgu playing him onside. The remaining question was Fernández’s involvement. The Premier League Match Centre initially explained that Fernández was in an offside position but had not played the ball. VAR therefore allowed the goal to stand. United argued that Fernández’s movement affected Martínez as he attempted to defend the cross. Martínez later described the decision as an injustice, saying Fernández’s position influenced his actions and helped create the space Haaland exploited. Pro Ref’s subsequent statement effectively acknowledged that the potential impact of Fernández’s position had not been properly considered during the VAR review.

The controversy overshadowed a match in which City had to defend their lead with 10 players. Phil Foden was sent off before half-time after an incident involving Bruno Fernandes, leaving City a man down for a large part of the match. United were unable to make their numerical advantage count, with the hosts failing to find an equaliser despite late pressure. Haaland’s goal consequently proved decisive and handed City another victory at Old Trafford.

The Pro Ref admission provides an official acknowledgement that the VAR process should have been handled differently, but it offers little practical benefit to United beyond recognition of the error. The result remains a 1-0 Manchester City victory, while the refereeing body’s review will focus on how VAR assessed Fernández’s involvement and why an on-field review was not recommended. For Carrick and United, the controversy adds to the frustration of a derby defeat in which the decisive goal was later acknowledged by the refereeing authorities as an error of judgment. The incident is also likely to renew scrutiny of VAR decisions involving offside players who do not touch the ball but may still affect an opponent’s ability to defend a play.