Former Manchester United captain Roy Keane has voiced his belief that VAR should have stepped in to annul Erling Haaland's decisive goal during the Manchester derby against Manchester City. According to Keane, Enzo Fernandez was offside and significantly interfered with play, impacting the actions of Lisandro Martinez.
City found themselves down to ten men in the 23rd minute following Phil Foden's red card. However, on the 60th minute, Haaland struck the winner for the visitors, sealing a 1-0 victory. Initially, referee Michael Oliver ruled the goal offside, but the decision was overturned after a VAR review.
While Haaland was onside, questions have arisen over Fernandez's involvement. The City midfielder, who was in an offside position, attempted a header from Josko Gvardiol's cross and was directly in front of Martinez.
Keane stated:
When you're in that position, you're influencing the game. Of course, you are. You're standing in the penalty area trying to play the ball.
Martinez has to react. He believes Fernandez is his main threat, not Haaland.
These are crucial decisions. However, let's not take anything away from Haaland. The ball came to him rapidly, there were players in front of him, and it was a slight deflection — but he finished brilliantly.
Mike Richards also shared the opinion that the goal should have been disallowed due to Fernandez's involvement:
Why is he going for the ball? Because he thinks he can score. Of course, he’s trying to play it — he doesn’t know he’s offside.
He’s standing in the penalty area, the ball's coming in, and he believes he could score the winner in a derby.
He is absolutely influencing the play. I think it was a bad day for the officials and VAR. How can one claim Fernandez is not contesting for the ball? Of course, he is.
I was a defender myself and have found myself in situations like this. Even the smallest movement from an opponent can determine whether you go for the ball or not. So, his actions definitely influenced the incident.
Both experts acknowledged the impressive performance of Manchester City, who managed to secure victory at Old Trafford despite spending most of the match a man down.
