Manchester derby officials 'learn fate' after admitted "big mistake" in Manchester City win at Old Trafford

By Seye Omidiora | 14 Sep 2026 18:52, Last updated: 14 Sep 2026 18:53

Manchester City secured a controversial 1-0 victory over local rivals Manchester United at Old Trafford at the weekend, but the aftermath of the derby has been entirely overshadowed by refereeing debate.

Erling Haaland netted the decisive goal for the Citizens, yet replays clearly showed summer signing Enzo Fernandez in an offside position while attempting to play the ball in the build-up.

The decision sparked furious protests from Michael Carrick and the United bench, with the Red Devils feeling aggrieved by another contentious officiating call in a high-stakes fixture.

Refereeing body, Pro Ref, subsequently took the rare step of reaching out to the club within hours of the final whistle to formally apologise and admit that a major error had occurred.

The fallout has now resulted in immediate administrative action from the authorities as the Premier League prepares for its fifth round of domestic fixtures.

According to Sky Sports News, VAR official Matt Donohue and assistant VAR Blake Antrobus have not been appointed to any Premier League fixtures for the upcoming matchday.

Chief refereeing officer Howard Webb and his senior management team are believed to have made the definitive call to stand the duo down until at least after the impending international break.

The governing organisation admitted that Donohue should have recommended an on-field review to on-pitch referee Michael Oliver after acknowledging an "error of judgment" in allowing Haaland's goal to stand.

While the video review team have been temporarily removed from the rota, Oliver, his assistant referees Stuart Burt and Tim Wood and fourth official Paul Tierney have all retained their positions for the weekend.

Former Premier League striker Clinton Morrison strongly defended Webb's decision to drop the pair, insisting that officials must face tangible consequences when significant mistakes directly alter match outcomes.

"That's the right decision. It makes sense," Morrison remarked on Sky Sports News, stressing that the review team had ample time to examine the footage and identify Fernandez's offside position. "If you make a big mistake, you have to get punished.

"They still should be able to ref again despite it being a big mistake, but you can keep making these mistakes because instead of talking about the game we're talking about a big mistake which cost Man Utd."

Dropping officials following high-profile errors has become an established precedent for the refereeing hierarchy, serving as both a cooling-off period and an attempt to maintain public credibility in the technology.

However, the swift retrospective apology offers little comfort to Manchester United, who were denied a vital point against their fiercest rivals and now find themselves playing catch-up in the Premier League table.

The result leaves Carrick's men 13th on four points, eight behind Arsenal and Manchester City and three behind fifth-placed Chelsea.

Get FREE daily news and in-depth previews for games from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football — straight to your inbox.