VAR officials stood down after Haaland goal in Manchester derby

Matt Donohue and his assistant Blake Antrobus have been removed from refereeing duties for the fifth round of the Premier League after their decision to allow Erling Haaland’s goal in Manchester City’s win over Manchester United.

The decision was reported by Sky Sports, with the English refereeing authorities confirming that the two officials would not be appointed to matches in the next round. They are due to return for the sixth round of Premier League fixtures.

Haaland’s goal gave Manchester City a 1-0 victory at the expense of their city rivals in the fourth round. The result moved City on to 12 points, level with leaders Arsenal, who remain top on goal difference. Manchester United stayed on four points in 13th place.

The refereeing body also contacted Manchester United to acknowledge that the video assistant referee had made an error in assessing the goal.

“We contacted Manchester United after the Manchester City match to acknowledge that there had been an error of judgement by VAR, and that the referee should have been called to review the decision himself in the case of Haaland’s goal,” it said in an official statement.

The Premier League’s official refereeing account explained immediately after the match why the goal had been awarded.

VAR reviewed the incident and concluded that Haaland was in an onside position when the ball was played. It also judged that Enzo Fernandez, despite being in an offside position, had not played the ball.

On that basis, the goal stood.

Haaland’s strike proved decisive in the Manchester derby and took his tally to nine goals, making him the all-time leading scorer in the fixture.