Webb admits VAR error gifted Manchester City derby win over Manchester United
Howard Webb has admitted VAR made a mistake by allowing Erling Haaland's winning goal for Manchester City against Manchester United after missing Enzo Fernandez's offside interference. The Premier League's refereeing chief said the VAR suffered from "tunnel vision" and confirmed the goal should have been disallowed.
- Competition: Premier League Manchester derby
- Incident: Erling Haaland's winning goal for Manchester City against Manchester United
- Error: VAR failed to spot Enzo Fernandez impacting play from an offside position
- Consequence: Referees stood down until after the international break
- Admission: Howard Webb says the goal should have been disallowed
What was said
"We felt it was important that we acknowledged an error in the situation. We know that Erling Haaland was penalised for offside and wasn't in an offside position."
"We also know that Enzo Fernandez, who was in an offside position, almost certainly interfered with the Manchester United defence and probably the goalkeeper."
"I was really disappointed with this outcome; we all were. None more than the officials. They take personal pride in what they do and they are hurting now after falling short in this situation. They will not be officiating until after the international break."
"We have reached out to Manchester United and acknowledged the error, as we do when these things happen and they do not happen often. We want to ensure we are transparent and open."
"We have played the audio and footage to the club to let them know what happened. We will review the situation to understand what elements of the process fell down in this situation which meant we didn't get to the right outcome."
"Fernandez doesn't actually touch the ball, so he has not committed what we would call a factual offside offence of interfering with play."
"But you can still be penalised even if you do not touch the ball. In this situation, as the ball comes across, we see Fernandez dive towards the ball and he gets close to it."
"That impacts [Lisandro] Martinez; he cannot come and clear the ball. It probably impacts [Senne] Lammens as well, he cannot dive in the way he would or sets himself for potential contact from Fernandez."
"It is impacting the defence in a couple of ways as a result of the actions he makes in the offside position."
"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, 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."
Webb's admission is a rare public acknowledgment of a clear officiating error in a high-profile match. The Pro Ref chief operating officer did not hold back in his criticism of the VAR's process, highlighting a systemic failure rather than a single moment of misjudgment. His willingness to play the audio to Manchester United demonstrates a commitment to transparency, but it will do little to ease the sense of injustice at Old Trafford. The decision to stand the officials down until after the international break underlines the severity of the mistake.
The numbers
- 3cm — the margin by which Erling Haaland was judged onside by VAR
- 0 — the number of touches Enzo Fernandez made on the ball
- 1 — the number of Premier League derbies this season affected by this error
Why VAR missed it
The VAR's initial check focused solely on Erling Haaland's position after the on-field offside decision. Once they established that Haaland was onside by three centimetres, they moved to check the full attacking possession phase (APP). However, as Howard Webb explained, the VAR became fixated on Haaland and failed to properly evaluate Enzo Fernandez's impact. Fernandez, in an offside position, dived towards the ball, affecting Lisandro Martinez's ability to clear and Senne Lammens's ability to set himself for a potential save. The VAR team, including the assistant VAR, did not pull the lead official out of his "tunnel vision" to consider this interference.
Webb noted that while Fernandez did not touch the ball, the laws of the game allow for an offside offence to be called if a player interferes with an opponent. The failure to apply this correctly is what makes the error so frustrating. The officials involved will not officiate until after the international break, giving them time to reflect and for the review process to take place.
Talking points
- Should VAR officials be held publicly accountable for errors, as Webb has done here, or does it undermine their authority?
- Is three centimetres too small a margin for offside, and does the technology need a tolerance level?
- How would this decision have been received if it had benefited Manchester United instead of Manchester City?
- Does the admission of error bring closure to Manchester United, or does it add to their sense of grievance?
What happens next
Howard Webb has confirmed that the officials involved will not be appointed to any matches until after the international break. The PGMOL will conduct a full review to understand what went wrong and how similar mistakes can be prevented. Manchester United have been contacted and shown the footage. The focus now shifts to ensuring that the VAR process is more robust in the future, particularly when evaluating offside interference. The football world will be watching closely to see if lessons are learned.
Frequently asked questions
Why was Erling Haaland's goal against Manchester United not disallowed?
VAR failed to spot that Enzo Fernandez, in an offside position, interfered with the Manchester United defence and goalkeeper. The VAR focused only on Haaland being onside and missed the offside offence by Fernandez.
What did Howard Webb say about the Enzo Fernandez offside decision?
Webb said he was "really disappointed" and that the goal should have been disallowed. He explained that Fernandez's actions impacted Lisandro Martinez and Senne Lammens.
Will the VAR officials be punished for the mistake?
Yes. Howard Webb confirmed that the officials will not officiate until after the international break. They are currently "hurting" and will be reviewed.
Frequently asked questions
Why was Enzo Fernandez not penalised for offside against Manchester United?
Because the VAR determined he did not touch the ball, so they did not consider it a factual offside offence. However, Webb admits this was a mistake as Fernandez clearly interfered with play.
What is the attacking possession phase (APP) that Webb mentioned?
It is the phase of play that the VAR checks to determine if any offside offences occurred in the build-up to a goal. In this case, the VAR failed to evaluate Fernandez's impact fully.
Did the referees apologise to Manchester United?
Yes, Howard Webb confirmed they reached out to Manchester United and acknowledged the error, playing them the audio and footage.
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