Photo via BBC Sport

No weekend game for Manchester derby VAR officials

Match officials Matt Donohue and Blake Antrobus have been omitted from the upcoming round of Premier League fixtures following a controversial call in the Manchester derby. The refereeing organization Pro Ref, under the leadership of chief refereeing officer Howard Webb and his executive group, opted to stand down the video assistant referee and his deputy after acknowledging an evaluative misstep during Sunday's contest at Old Trafford.

Manchester City secured a victory to extend their flawless start to four wins from four matches, even after Phil Foden received a red card just 23 minutes into the clash.

The contentious moment arrived in the 60th minute when Erling Haaland converted Josko Gvardiol's delivery at the far post, a strike initially chalked off on the pitch before video review deemed Patrick Dorgu's foot played the scorer onside. Controversy centered on Enzo Fernandez, who attempted a diving header from an offside position ahead of the conversion.

While Fernandez never made contact with the ball, leaving the decision open to interpretation, Pro Ref conceded that the video team failed to account for his potential interference and ought to have advised the referee to examine the monitor.