Referees' chief Howard Webb has acknowledged a significant error in the video assistant referee (VAR) system during the recent Manchester derby, admitting that the offside offense by Enzo Fernandez in the build-up to Manchester City's winning goal was not properly assessed. Webb stated he was "really disappointed" with the mistake made by VAR official Matt Donohue and his assistant Blake Antrobus.
Manchester City striker Erling Haaland's goal in the 60th minute was initially disallowed for offside on the field, but a subsequent VAR review determined Haaland was onside, and the goal was awarded. However, it soon became evident that the VAR officials had failed to identify that Fernandez, in a central position, had interfered with play by challenging for the ball. This action, Webb explained, should have resulted in the goal being disallowed.
"This goal should've been disallowed. And highly unfortunately, it wasn't," Webb said, speaking on the new 'Match Officials Mic'd Up' program. He elaborated that the VAR team experienced "tunnel vision" focused on Haaland's position, which was confirmed by semi-automated offside technology to be three centimeters onside from Josko Gvardiol's cross. The officials then focused on whether Fernandez touched the ball, which would have created a new offside phase, rather than evaluating Fernandez's impact on the play itself.
Webb confirmed he has already been in contact with Manchester United to share the VAR audio and video related to the incident. He noted that while Fernandez did not touch the ball, his actions clearly impacted the play, constituting a subjective offside that was missed. The error has led to Donohue and Antrobus being stood down from officiating duties until after the international break.
Additionally, Webb addressed the red card shown to Manchester City's Phil Foden for kicking out at Bruno Fernandes. Webb supported the decision to send Foden off, citing the force of his kick. He contrasted this with Fernandes' retaliatory action, which he deemed more "petulant than violent" and therefore a yellow card offense. Webb suggested that had Foden's action been reviewed by VAR rather than called on the field, Fernandes' offense would also have been identified and likely resulted in a yellow card.