Premier League referees admit Haaland goal vs United was wrongly awarded

Manchester City’s striker Erling Haaland scored the decisive goal in the 2‑1 derby win over Manchester United on Saturday, but the Premier League’s refereeing authority, Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL), has now confirmed that the goal should not have been allowed. The match, played at Old Trafford, saw Haaland’s strike ruled a goal after a brief review by the video‑assistant referee (VAR), despite the ball appearing to have been played from an off‑side position.

Following an internal audit, PGMOL officials concluded that the VAR protocol was not correctly applied and that the on‑field decision failed to meet the competition’s off‑side criteria. The review highlighted that the assistant referee had signalled a potential off‑side infringement, yet the VAR check was either omitted or misinterpreted, leading to the goal standing. The governing body has acknowledged the error and indicated that the incident will be used to refine future VAR procedures.

The admission comes as the Premier League continues to address concerns over officiating consistency. While the result of the match remains unchanged, PGMOL has pledged to implement additional training for officials and to review the decision‑making framework to reduce similar mistakes in forthcoming fixtures.