Manchester City have been at the centre of English football’s biggest talking point this week, after the club’s controversial 1-0 win over Manchester United at Old Trafford.
Erling Haaland struck the only goal of Sunday’s derby in the 60th minute, turning in Josko Gvardiol’s deflected cross despite team-mate Enzo Fernandez standing in an offside position and attempting to reach the ball moments earlier.
The goal was initially ruled out on the field, only for VAR to overturn the decision after concluding that Fernandez, though offside, had not made contact with the ball.
City claimed the win despite playing more than an hour with 10 men, after Phil Foden was sent off in the first half for kicking out at United captain Bruno Fernandes.
Pro Ref admits ‘error of judgment’
The result has since been overshadowed by a rare public admission from Professional Game Match Officials, known as Pro Ref, which said the decision to let the goal stand was a mistake.
The body said the VAR “did not recognise the likely impact” of Fernandez’s position and “should have recommended an on-field review,” adding that it had contacted Manchester United to acknowledge what it called “an error of judgment,” with a formal review of the incident to follow.
United manager Michael Carrick said afterwards it was “worrying” that a team of officials had reached the conclusion they did. Also, defender Lisandro Martinez, who was directly involved in the passage of play, described the outcome as an “injustice.”
The episode has reignited long-running debates over the consistency of VAR’s application of the offside law, specifically the subjective question of when a player “interferes with play” without touching the ball.
Hart: ‘Anyone involved in football will tell you he did’
Among those to weigh in was former City goalkeeper Joe Hart, who spent 12 years and made 348 appearances for the club before moving on.
Speaking on Premier League Productions alongside former Manchester United duo Michael Owen and Dimitar Berbatov, Hart did not hold back on his assessment of the officials’ handling of the incident, saying he “absolutely cannot believe” the goal was allowed to stand, as quoted by Sportbible.
He argued that Fernandez’s movement towards the ball plainly affected the play, regardless of whether he made contact with it, insisting that anyone with a footballing background would reach the same conclusion.
It is a rare moment of a City legend siding with the club’s fiercest rivals on a refereeing call, underlining just how unusual the passage of play was.
Meanwhile, the three points, contentious or not, matter enormously for Enzo Maresca, who succeeded Pep Guardiola as City head coach over the summer after the Spaniard’s decade-long reign at the Etihad came to an end.
Beating United at Old Trafford with 10 men, in just his fourth league game in charge, was always going to be a statement result for the Italian as he looks to show the club will not miss Guardiola on the touchline. Maresca was booked during the match for protesting a separate decision, a sign of how keenly he felt the significance of the occasion.
The win keeps City firmly in the title conversation, even if the manner of it will be remembered as much for the controversy as for the three points gained.
