Haaland’s Manchester derby winner should not have counted, panel rules

The Premier League's Key Match Incidents panel unanimously found that VAR incorrectly awarded Erling Haaland's winning goal in Manchester City's September 13 victory at Old Trafford.

The assessment, published September 23, concerned Enzo Fernandez's involvement before the goal. VAR established that Haaland was onside when overturning the original decision, but the panel said Fernandez attempted to play the ball from an offside position and affected the defender and goalkeeper.

That made Fernandez's involvement a separate question from the scorer's position. The panel concluded that the goal should not have been awarded.

In another derby finding, the panel supported Phil Foden's red card by three votes to two. The split over that incident contrasts with the unanimous ruling on the goal, which decided City's 1-0 win.