VAR Matt Donohue reinstated for Premier League duty after Manchester Derby offside blunder

Matt Donohue, the VAR official whose error allowed Erling Haaland’s offside goal to stand in Manchester City’s 1-0 derby victory over United on 13 September, has been reinstated for Premier League duty this weekend, assigned as assistant VAR for Saturday’s match between Coventry and Fulham.

Donohue was stood down from Premier League fixtures by Professional Game Match Officials Limited (Pro Ref) following the high-profile blunder, in which Enzo Fernandez was adjudged to have been offside and interfering with play — a detail Donohue and his assistant Blake Antrobus both missed. Pro Ref issued two separate apologies to Manchester United in the aftermath.

Pro Ref chief Howard Webb later explained the failure publicly, saying Donohue had developed “tunnel vision” during the incident. “We felt it was important that we acknowledged an error in this situation,” Webb said on Match Officials Mic’d Up. “We know that Erling Haaland, who was penalised on field for offside, wasn’t in an offside position. But we also know that Enzo Fernandez, who was in an offside position, almost certainly interfered with the Manchester United defence and probably the goalkeeper as well.”

Webb added that he was “really disappointed” with the outcome and confirmed that Pro Ref had shared audio and footage of the incident directly with Manchester United. “We want to ensure that we are transparent and open,” he said, “and we’re going to review this situation to understand what elements of process fell down.”

Antrobus, Donohue’s assistant on the night, had already returned to action, serving as assistant referee during Aston Villa’s 1-0 win over Newcastle last Saturday.

During his absence from the Premier League, Donohue continued to officiate in the EFL Championship, taking charge of the 0-0 draw between Southampton and Bolton last Saturday and the 1-1 draw between Derby and Wrexham on 10 October. His return to the top flight this weekend marks the end of a three-match suspension from Premier League involvement.