Why Haaland’s Manchester Derby Winner Should Not Have Stood: The Offside Rule Explained
Manchester City won the Manchester derby at Old Trafford 1-0 in September 2026, with Erling Haaland scoring the only goal in the 60th minute. Within hours, the Premier League’s referees’ body, Pro Ref (formerly PGMOL), said the goal should not have stood and called it “an error of judgement” by the video assistant referee. It contacted Manchester United to acknowledge the mistake and said the incident would be reviewed.
What makes the case interesting is that Haaland himself was not the problem. This article explains what happened and which part of the offside law applied.
What happened
Joško Gvardiol crossed from the left and the ball deflected off a United defender to Haaland, who scored. The referee, Michael Oliver, initially ruled Haaland offside. VAR checked Haaland’s position, found him onside, and the goal was given.
The issue was Enzo Fernández. He was in an offside position when the cross was played and moved towards the ball as if to head it, close to goalkeeper Senne Lammens, but he did not touch it. According to Pro Ref, VAR should have recommended that the referee review the impact of Fernández’s movement on the pitchside monitor.
What Law 11 says
Under Law 11, being in an offside position is not an offence on its own. A player in an offside position at the moment a teammate plays the ball is only penalised if they become involved in active play by:
- playing or touching the ball;
- interfering with an opponent; or
- gaining an advantage, for example from a rebound or deflection.
Interfering with an opponent includes preventing an opponent from playing or being able to play the ball by clearly obstructing their line of vision, challenging them for the ball, clearly attempting to play a ball that is close when this action impacts on an opponent, or making an obvious action that clearly impacts on the ability of an opponent to play the ball.
That is why a player who never touches the ball can still commit an offside offence. If their movement towards a nearby ball affects a defender or the goalkeeper, it counts.
Why this was a judgement call
Offside positions are factual: a line is drawn and a player is either ahead of the second-last defender or not. Whether a player interfered with an opponent is a matter of opinion. The officials have to decide whether the movement had a real impact on an opponent.
That is why the derby goal produced such a split. United’s Lisandro Martínez said he stayed with Fernández and disputed that he was offside at all. Pro Ref’s view was that the movement towards the ball, close to the goalkeeper, met the test and was serious enough for VAR to call for a review.
Why VAR did not step in at first
VAR can only intervene for a clear and obvious error, or a serious missed incident, in four situations: goals, penalties, direct red cards and mistaken identity. For a goal, the VAR checks for any offence in the attacking phase, including offside by a player other than the scorer. In this case the check focused on Haaland’s position. Pro Ref later accepted that the possible interference by Fernández should have been sent to the referee for an on-field review.
What fans can take from it
- The scorer is not the only player who matters. Any attacking player in an offside position who interferes with an opponent can cause a goal to be disallowed.
- Not touching the ball does not make you safe. A clear attempt to play a nearby ball, or blocking the goalkeeper’s view, can be enough.
- Level is still onside, and hands and arms are not counted when judging offside positions.
Want to test yourself on situations like this one? Try our illustrated offside quiz, which includes a scenario about blocking the goalkeeper’s view, or read the full guide to the 17 Laws of the Game.
Sources: Pro Ref statement as reported by NBC Sports and ESPN, September 2026; IFAB Laws of the Game, Law 11.