Premier League refereeing body Pro Ref has admitted that an “error of judgement” was made in the decision that allowed Erling Haaland’s winning goal to stand in Manchester City’s 1-0 victory over Manchester United.
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Haaland scored the decisive goal in the 60th minute at Old Trafford, converting Josko Gvardiol’s cross at the back post.
The goal was initially ruled out on the field for offside, but the Video Assistant Referee intervened and overturned the decision after determining that Haaland had been played onside by the boot of Manchester United defender Patrick Dorgu.
The decision subsequently generated controversy over whether another attacking player, who was in an offside position and moved towards the ball from a more central area, had interfered with play.
Addressing the incident, Pro Ref acknowledged that although the player did not touch the ball, the possible impact of his position on the defensive play should have been given further consideration.
“It was established that [the player] did not play the ball and therefore that makes any offside offence subjective,” Pro Ref said in a statement reported by BBC Sport.
The refereeing body, however, conceded that the VAR should not have simply allowed the goal without asking the match referee to review the incident on the pitch-side monitor.
“However, on this occasion, the VAR did not recognise the likely impact of his position and should have recommended an on-field review,” the body said.
The admission means Pro Ref accepts that the match referee should have been given another opportunity to assess whether the offside player interfered with an opponent before Haaland’s goal was confirmed.
Haaland’s strike ultimately proved decisive, handing Manchester City a 1-0 victory over their local rivals at Old Trafford.
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