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Awarding Man City's winner at Man Utd an error, admits refereeing body

English refereeing organisation Pro Ref has formally admitted that Manchester City should not have been awarded the decisive goal in their 1-0 Premier League triumph over Manchester United at Old Trafford. The decisive 60th-minute strike from Erling Haaland was initially ruled out by the on-pitch match officials before video assistants intervened to overturn the call, judging that defender Patrick Dorgu had kept the forward onside.

Following the contest, the officiating authority reached out to United to acknowledge a misjudgement, noting that the video referee failed to advise a pitchside monitor review regarding whether Enzo Fernandez influenced the play from an offside position.

While Fernandez never made contact with the ball, his actions appeared to hinder defender Lisandro Martinez immediately prior to Haaland converting at the far post, a circumstance that should have preserved the original offside ruling under the rules of the sport. Pro Ref, which operates under the leadership of former top-flight official Howard Webb after rebranding from PGMO during the summer, oversees officiating across the WSL, the National League, Premier League 2, and the top four men's tiers in England.