Premier League officially announces their decision on the Manchester derby after the Erling Haaland incident
Matt Donohue won’t be working as a referee or VAR official in Premier League games for Matchweek 5, following questions about his role during Sunday’s Manchester derby.
Manchester City, playing with 10 men, won 1-0 against Manchester United at Old Trafford thanks to Erling Haaland’s goal in the second half.
At first, Haaland’s goal was ruled offside, but VAR changed the call after deciding Haaland was onside due to a play involving United’s Patrick Dorgu. However, Pro Ref, the group in charge of refereeing in English football, later said this was a mistake because of the involvement of City midfielder Enzo Fernandez in the play.
Donohue, who was the VAR official for the match, hasn’t been included in any Premier League official lineups for Matchweek 5. It’s common for the Premier League to rest officials when their decisions are being closely examined, but they haven’t explained why Donohue was left out this time. According to The Guardian, Pro Ref told Donohue and his assistant, Blake Antrobus, that they won’t be refereeing in the upcoming fixtures.
The main referee in the derby, Michael Oliver, who didn’t consult VAR on the Haaland goal, will be in charge of Bournemouth vs. Liverpool.
Pro Ref explained that VAR initially decided Fernandez, who was clearly offside, didn’t touch the ball and so didn’t influence the play. However, they admitted VAR missed the fact that Fernandez’s position likely affected the situation and that the on-field officials should have reviewed the goal again.
The issue was whether Fernandez, standing offside, had an effect on United defender Lisandro Martinez’s ability to defend. Martinez tried to clear the ball with a diving header but seemed obstructed by Fernandez, which may have caused some confusion. Also, goalkeeper Senne Lammens made a slight diving move when Fernandez challenged for the ball, which might have affected his save.
In an interview, Martinez called the VAR decision “unfair” and “unacceptable.” He said, “I don’t understand the rules. Fernandez was there in front of me, which let Haaland stay free. I’m trying to stay calm now.”
Manchester United’s coach Michael Carrick shared similar feelings. He said, “I just don’t get it. It’s hard to understand when there are so many people and screens involved in making these calls. If the rules are interpreted like this, it’s worrying because players are making big efforts to stop goals.”
City coach Enzo Maresca said, “Erling was onside. A fourth official even told me it was only about the action around Fernandez in the middle. But I think the call was clear.”
Haaland told Sky Sports he thought there might have been a flick on the ball, which is why he believed he wasn’t offside. He said, “I took it personally that they thought I was offside! But when I looked at Enzo, he gave me the thumbs-up, so I knew it was going to be a goal.”