The entire transcript of the VAR discussions with referee Michael Oliver during the assessment of Erling Haaland's winning goal in the Manchester derby has been released.
Manchester City clinched a 1-0 victory at Old Trafford despite Phil Foden's red card in the 23rd minute. Haaland scored the only goal in the 60th minute.
Initially, the goal was disallowed for offside against the Norwegian, but VAR determined that Patrick Dorgu kept Haaland onside, leading to a change in decision.
The crux of the controversy lay in a different facet of the same attack. Enzo Fernandez was in an offside position and attempted to play the ball with his head following a pass from Josko Gvardiol. Lisandro Martinez switched his focus to the Argentine, leaving Haaland unmarked.
Subsequently, the Pro Ref officiating body admitted the error: VAR should have assessed Fernandez's influence on Martinez's actions and advised Michael Oliver to review the incident on the monitor.
The full transcript of the officials' discussions during the check has now been published.
VAR: “Checking the on-field decision on Haaland's offside… Is this frame around the second one?”
Replay operator: “I can show you this moment [Gvardiol makes the pass to Haaland].”
VAR: “Give me a wide angle, I want to make sure there are no other players… Very close. Genius [semi-automatic offside system], please.”
Michael Oliver: “There was a deflection on the delivery.”
VAR: “Confirmed.”
Semi-automatic offside system: “Okay. For this pass to Haaland, we have a minimal position ‘in play’, green line. The decision can change based on the precise moment the ball is struck. Confirm, are you happy with the selections of these players?”
VAR: “Yes, the players' selections are correct.”
Semi-automatic offside system: “Right, checking the exact moment of the ball strike. Please wait…”
VAR: “The ball isn't at his feet yet, is it?”
Semi-automatic offside system: “Recommendation – Haaland is in the correct position.”
VAR: “Okay, he’s not offside. Now we need to check the entire attacking phase. Let’s go back to Hawk-Eye.”
VAR: “Michael [Oliver], Haaland is in the correct position, but I need to check the entire attacking phase. Hold on… Haaland is clearly not offside. Scroll on until the end, come on, come on, come on. All good.”
VAR: “Go back, just check if there was any offside from Iliman Ndiaye. Sorry, my mistake. Yes, all good. Come on, come on, come on! Continue. It should be a goal. Now scroll everything until the moment the ball is in the net… Quickly, quickly, quickly, let’s go.”
VAR: “Deflection, position looks good. Confirm no touch. There’s obviously space between the player and the ball. There’s no touch, right? Is there another angle? Scroll on, scroll on. Goal.”
VAR: “Michael, confirming: you need to change the initial decision and award the goal. Haaland is in the correct position. Final decision – goal. Review complete.”
Head of referees Howard Webb acknowledged that VAR had overly concentrated on Haaland's position, failing to evaluate Fernandez's actions comprehensively.
Webb remarked:
I’m genuinely disappointed with this decision. We’re all frustrated, and the officials, first and foremost, are feeling it. They take their roles very seriously and are struggling with the fact that they made an error in this situation.
VAR fixated too much on Haaland. They established Haaland was onside and deemed it a goal.
However, they did not fully assess the influence of Fernandez's position. They looked into whether he touched the ball, which could have been relevant in the incident with Haaland, who subsequently scored.
At that moment, VAR developed a sort of tunnel vision. Other officials should have assisted him in considering the broader picture, but unfortunately, that didn’t happen.
Webb also stated that the officials involved in the incident will be sidelined from matches until after the international break.
After the derby, Lisandro Martinez explained how Fernandez's actions directly influenced his decision in the box.
The Manchester United defender stated:
He was ahead of me, so I went towards him, and that’s why Haaland ended up being free at the far post.
It’s hard to hold back my emotions right now. We lost the derby and dropped three points at home.
I had two players in front of me, and Haaland was behind. It was a 50/50 situation, and I had to make a choice on the closest player. If he hadn’t been there, I would’ve gone to Haaland. It’s as simple as that.
Manchester United find themselves with just four points from their first four Premier League matches. Next up for Michael Carrick’s side is an away trip to Fulham.
