Matt Donohue returns as assistant VAR for Coventry vs Fulham after Haaland derby error
Matt Donohue, the VAR who incorrectly awarded Erling Haaland's winner in last month's Manchester derby, has been reinstated to Premier League duty. He will serve as assistant VAR when Coventry host Fulham on Saturday, having officiated only in the EFL since the incident at Old Trafford on September 13.
- Official returning: Matt Donohue, reinstated to Premier League duty
- Next appointment: Assistant VAR for Coventry vs Fulham on Saturday
- Original incident: Wrongly awarded Erling Haaland's winner in the Manchester derby on September 13
- Fellow official: Assistant Blake Antrobus also failed to judge Enzo Fernandez was offside and interfering
- Aftermath: Manchester United received an apology over the incorrect VAR decision
How the Haaland incident unfolded
In the 59th minute at Old Trafford, Haaland tapped in a cross to give 10-man Manchester City the lead, but the goal was ruled out on-field after the assistant referee signalled for offside on the striker.
The semi-automated offside technology established that Haaland was onside, so the goal stood. However, City midfielder Enzo Fernandez was clearly offside when he dived to reach the same cross.
Although Fernandez did not touch the ball, his movement appeared to affect Manchester United defender Lisandro Martinez's defending before Haaland's back-post finish. Under the laws of the game, that should have meant the goal was disallowed.
Donohue and assistant Blake Antrobus failed to judge that Fernandez was offside and interfering with play during the incident. Donohue has not featured in any of the three match rounds since. Antrobus made his first appearance since the derby as an assistant referee for Newcastle's home fixture against Aston Villa last Saturday.
Donohue has officiated in the EFL since the derby, refereeing Championship matches between Derby and Wrexham on October 10 and Southampton vs Bolton last weekend.
What was said
"The on-field decision was not against Fernandez; it was against Haaland. When the VAR starts their check, they see that Haaland is actually onside by three centimetres."
"The VAR gets super focused on Haaland. He establishes he is onside but when he runs it through the full APP (attacking possession phase), he doesn't truly evaluate the full impact of Fernandez."
"In that moment, he gets tunnel vision but it is down to the rest of his team to pull him out of that tunnel but unfortunately, that did not happen on this occasion. This goal should have been disallowed."
"We will see an apology from Pro Ref. There is no doubt that Enzo is attempting to play the ball and putting Lisandro Martinez off. It's a really strange one. They'll recognise they got that wrong."
"It's a bad one. We all look at it and it looks offside. Haaland looks offside but we know he's not. Then when you break it down, it is poor from the officials."
"It seems to me they've become obsessed with Haaland being onside. They haven't gone into as much detail with Fernandez in the middle and understanding of his impact on it."
"One hundred per cent [Fernandez is interfering]. It's been a bad day for referees and VAR. They got the Phil Foden decision wrong, and they got this decision wrong. How can you not say Enzo Fernandez is challenging for the ball? Of course he is."
"I've been in that position as a defender where any slight movement can make the difference for going for the ball or not, so of course it affects him. They've got it so wrong."
"Fernandez is interfering with play. Basically, United have been punished for holding a good line. When you are in that position, you are impacting the game. You're in the middle of the box, you're going for the ball."
"Their line is good. Fernandez is offside, and he goes to play the ball, so United are getting punished for good defending."
Webb's assessment is the most important voice here. He did not defend Donohue; he diagnosed a process failure. The VAR fixated on the three-centimetre question of Haaland's position and never properly weighed Fernandez's dive, and the wider team around him failed to intervene. That is an admission that the error was systemic, not merely a single misjudgement.
The pundits were harsher and more unanimous. Neville, Carragher, Richards and Keane all landed on the same point: Fernandez's movement in the middle of the box shaped Martinez's defending, and no amount of technology changes that. Keane's framing is the sharpest — United were punished for holding a good defensive line.
The referee's microphones from Old Trafford
The released audio shows how quickly the check narrowed in on Haaland.
- Assistant referee: "Enzo, Enzo."
- Referee: "Deflection."
- VAR: "Possible offside."
- Assistant referee: "I'm going to go offside, Haaland."
- Referee: "On-field decision is offside."
- VAR: "Checking the on-field decision of offside against Haaland. He's tight. He's onside, so now we need to check the full attacking possession phase. Haaland's in an onside position, but I need to check the full APP. Go back to see if [Iliman] Ndiaye is onside when it is flicked. Yes. Go, go, go, so it should be a goal."
- VAR: "No touch there [from Enzo Fernandez], confirm no touch. Clear gap. It's not a touch there, is it? Goal. Michael, confirming that you need to change your decision to goal. Haaland is in an onside position. Final decision is goal; check complete."
Why the system failed, not just the man
The audio is the story. The assistant referee actually says "Enzo, Enzo" — the Fernandez concern was live on the field. By the time the check reached the VAR booth, the conversation had collapsed into a single question about Erling Haaland's toe. Once the semi-automated technology answered it, the officials moved to confirm a goal rather than interrogate interference.
The "no touch" confirmation is where it goes wrong. Under the laws, physical contact is not required for an offside offence if the player's movement affects an opponent. Enzo Fernandez dived at the ball in front of Lisandro Martinez; the touch was irrelevant, the impact was not. Donohue's team treated a subjective interference question as a factual one and cleared it in seconds.
Saturday's appointment matters because it tests whether Pro Ref has actually changed the process or simply absorbed the criticism and moved on. Donohue is back in the booth, not in the middle, and as assistant VAR he is again one voice in a team rather than the lead. If the lesson Webb described — helping the lead official out of tunnel vision — has been learned, that role is exactly where it shows.
Talking points
- Is an assistant VAR role the right re-entry point for Donohue, or does it let Pro Ref quietly reinstate a decision-maker without scrutiny?
- The assistant referee shouted "Enzo, Enzo" before the goal was even reviewed — so why did that concern vanish once Haaland was cleared?
- Webb says the team should have pulled Donohue out of his tunnel. If four officials collectively failed, why is one man's return the only visible consequence?
- Keane is right that United were punished for a good line. Should the laws simply treat any attacker diving at a cross in an offside position as interfering?
What happens next
Donohue's return comes on Saturday, when Coventry host Fulham. He will run as assistant VAR alongside the lead VAR, one appointment in a round Pro Ref will watch closely. Manchester United, meanwhile, have already received the apology they were owed; the competitive loss stands, and the wider review into the incident continues. The next test of the rebuilt process is matchday, not a press release.
Frequently asked questions
Why was Haaland's goal against Manchester United allowed?
The semi-automated offside technology found Haaland onside, and the VAR judged that Enzo Fernandez did not play the ball. Pro Ref later said the VAR should have recommended an on-field review because he did not recognise the likely impact of Fernandez's position.
When is Matt Donohue back on Premier League duty?
He is set to return as assistant VAR when Coventry host Fulham on Saturday, having not featured in any of the three match rounds since the derby.
Did Manchester United get an apology for the VAR decision?
Yes. Sky Sports News reported United received an apology over the incorrect VAR decision, and Pro Ref contacted the club to acknowledge what it deemed an "error of judgement".
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