Photo via BBC Sport

Pressure for quick VAR decisions obvious in rushed derby review

During Manchester City's 1-0 triumph against Manchester United, video assistant referee Matt Donohue and assistant Blake Antrobus committed a major blunder by awarding Erling Haaland's decisive strike despite Enzo Fernandez being three yards offside prior to his attempted header. Rushed audio exchanges between Donohue and the replay technician revealed frantic calls to hasten the check, causing the officials to immediately engage semi-automated offside tools upon Josko Gvardiol's cross rather than evaluating the entire attacking phase inside the box.

City manager Enzo Maresca voiced understanding regarding the rapid decision-making demands on officials, while refereeing head Howard Webb continues working to balance swiftness and precision.

The push for faster checks stems from league priorities and stakeholder surveys, which have successfully trimmed mean review delays from 46 seconds to 36 seconds per match. Nevertheless, heightened pressure to avoid disruptions has also been linked to the season's only other incorrect video review, where Arsenal were wrongly denied a spot-kick against Aston Villa.