Manchester United defender Lisandro Martinez voiced his anger following Manchester City's controversial winning goal, scored by Erling Haaland, which he described as an "injustice." The goal, which came in the 60th minute, was initially disallowed for offside before a Video Assistant Referee (VAR) review overturned the decision.
The contentious moment involved teammate Enzo Fernandez, who was in an offside position and appeared to attempt to play the ball, potentially interfering with Martinez's ability to mark Haaland. Despite this, the goal was awarded on the basis that Fernandez did not touch the ball.
Martinez argued that Fernandez's presence in an offside position influenced his defensive actions. "I think [Fernandez] was offside," Martinez told Sky Sports. "What I can’t understand is the rules. He was there! I went to (mark) him because he was in front of me. That’s why Haaland was free at the back."
He further expressed disbelief at the officiating, stating, "Every season the officials come to our club and spend an hour explaining the rules and they look so confident with that. Then after, five or six people (officials) doing this kind of mistake in the Premier League is unacceptable. We have to go home with this injustice."
Commentator Gary Neville also questioned the decision, suggesting that officials might issue an apology. "I will need the offside explained to me," Neville said. "The officials will be nervous about this goal. When they look back on this, they will recognise they got this wrong. The question is does Fernandez, who is offside, stop Martinez getting the ball? He does."
Neville highlighted that the rules can deem a player offside even without touching the ball if they impact play. "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," he added.
The Premier League Match Centre's official explanation, shared on their X account, stated that VAR determined Haaland to be onside and that Fernandez, despite being in an offside position, did not play the ball.