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Pro Ref Apologizes for VAR Blunder in Man City–United Derby

By Drooid · Sep 14, 2026, 2:08 AM UTC · How we work

Summary

Manchester City Wins

Manchester City defeated Manchester United 1-0 at Old Trafford while playing with ten men.
Pro Ref acknowledged a VAR mistake, saying officials should have recommended an on-field review of Erling Haaland’s goal.
Phil Foden was sent off in the 23rd minute for kicking Bruno Fernandes.
Erling Haaland’s goal gave him nine derby goals, the most in Premier League history.

Summary

Pro Ref Apologizes

Pro Ref issued a formal apology to Manchester United for the VAR mistake.
Pro Ref admitted the VAR missed Enzo Fernández’s impact and should have recommended an on-field review.
Pro Ref announced a formal review of the incident after contacting Manchester United.
Officials called the error the biggest VAR blunder since 2019.
The statement indicated procedural changes may be considered to prevent similar off-side assessment failures.

History

Historical Context

FIFA approved VAR on 16 March 2018, debuting fully at the 2018 World Cup where 335 incidents were reviewed and a 99.3 % success rate was claimed. The technology sparked controversy in the France-Argentina extra-time win, and the recent Pro Ref apology for the Manchester United-Manchester City off-side error shows the same consistency issues persist.

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Manchester City Wins

Manchester City defeated Manchester United 1-0 at Old Trafford while playing with ten men.
Pro Ref acknowledged a VAR mistake, saying officials should have recommended an on-field review of Erling Haaland’s goal.
Phil Foden was sent off in the 23rd minute for kicking Bruno Fernandes.
Erling Haaland’s goal gave him nine derby goals, the most in Premier League history.

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