‘Go, go, go!’ – inside the catastrophic VAR mistake that decided the Manchester derby

‘Quick, quick, quick, quick! Go, go, go, go, go!’ Those were the words of video assistant referee Matt Donohue as he raced through the review that awarded Erling Haaland’s winning goal in the Manchester derby. The trouble is that Enzo Fernandez was three yards offside before he attempted a header in the build-up. Neither Donohue nor his assistant VAR, Blake Antrobus, spotted it. The goal stood, the derby was decided, and the Premier League woke up to one of the most catastrophic VAR errors it has ever seen, as revealed by BBC Sport football issues correspondent Dale Johnson.

What actually happened in the VAR room

The error comes down to one thing: nobody checked Enzo Fernandez’s position. In his rush to keep the game moving, Matt Donohue skipped through the review without drawing offside lines on the correct phase of play. Blake Antrobus, whose job is to act as a second pair of eyes, did not intervene.

Three yards is not a toenail offside that sparks arguments about where the line is drawn. It is a position any supporter watching at home would have clocked. That is what makes this so damaging for the PGMOL, the body that runs Premier League refereeing.

Wayne Rooney, the former Manchester United captain, described the refereeing decisions as ‘baffling’. Few in the game would argue.

Why this is worse than a bad judgement call

VAR exists to correct clear and obvious errors. In this case, VAR manufactured the error. Haaland’s goal should have been ruled out, and instead it settled the most-watched derby in world football.

The most uncomfortable detail is Donohue’s tone. ‘Quick, quick, quick, go, go, go’ shows a VAR prioritising speed over accuracy. Supporters have complained for years about long delays, but a derby cannot be reviewed on fast-forward. Haste replaced verification.

The protocol also deserves scrutiny. The assistant VAR is there as a safeguard. When both officials miss the same thing, the failure is systemic rather than individual.

The wider Premier League picture

This is not the first high-profile VAR failure in the Premier League, and the PGMOL has previously stood down officials after similar mistakes. The difference here is the scale: a derby, a winning goal and a three-yard offside that required no technology to spot.

Semi-automated offside technology is now in use in the Premier League, which raises the obvious question of why it did not flag Fernandez. The likely answer is that it was never applied to the correct moment of the move because the review was rushed past it.

Manchester United will feel aggrieved, and Manchester City will point out they did nothing wrong on the pitch. Both are right, which is exactly why the anger is directed at the officials rather than the players.

What happens next for Donohue, Antrobus and the PGMOL

Expect both video officials to be removed from VAR duty for the coming rounds, in line with how the PGMOL has handled previous errors. Nothing has been confirmed officially at the time of writing.

The result will not change. Premier League rules do not allow a match to be replayed or a result amended because of a refereeing mistake, even an acknowledged one.

The structural question is whether VAR should be required to check the offside position of every player involved in a goal before signing it off. After this derby, it is hard to argue against it.

FAQ