Premier League explains why Haaland's offside goal stood in Manchester derby

Erling Haaland’s opening goal for Manchester City against Manchester United was allowed to stand after VAR overturned the on-field offside flag, with the Premier League Match Centre issuing a formal explanation of the decision.

Haaland powered home at the back post from a deflected Josko Gvardiol shot, with Patrick Dorgu’s touch redirecting the ball towards the Norwegian. The linesman initially raised his flag, triggering a lengthy VAR review before the goal was confirmed.

The Premier League Match Centre stated on social media: “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.”

The crux of the controversy centred on Enzo Fernandez, who was standing in an offside position near Lisandro Martinez as the ball arrived. Under the laws of the game, a player in an offside position is only penalised if they become actively involved — by playing or touching the ball, challenging an opponent, or clearly obstructing a defender’s line of vision or movement. VAR concluded Fernandez met none of those criteria.

Former United defender Gary Neville disagreed with that assessment. Speaking during coverage of the match, Neville argued that Fernandez’s presence directly affected Martinez’s ability to defend. “The question is does Enzo Fernandez put off Lisandro Martinez? I think he does because he sort of hesitates,” Neville said. “I do think when they look back, they’ll recognise they got it wrong.”

The decision is likely to fuel continued debate around VAR’s application of the offside and interference rules, particularly in situations where a player in an offside position is stationed close to a defending opponent without making direct contact with the ball.