# The VAR call that broke the Manchester derby > Two officials waved through Haaland's winner at Old Trafford, and now they are being kept away from United games. - Title: The VAR call that broke the Manchester derby · Dailymail - Summary: Two officials waved through Haaland's winner at Old Trafford, and now they are being kept away from United games. VAR did not fail on a millimetre offside… - Keywords: var, premier league, manchester derby, refereeing, howard webb, news, entertainment, call, broke, Manchester, derby, Dailymail - Source: Dailymail — https://dailymail.com/sport/football/article-16130535/Manchester-derby-VAR-officials-STOOD-error-judgement-allowing-Erling-Haalands-offside-winner-stand.html?ito=1490&ns_campaign=1490&ns_mchannel=rss - Published: 2026-09-14T15:50:21+00:00 - Read time: 3 min - Topics: var, premier league, manchester derby, refereeing, howard webb, news, entertainment ## Two officials sidelined VAR Matt Donohue and assistant Blake Antrobus were stood down from this weekend's Premier League fixtures after the Manchester derby mess. ## Now blocked from United games Daily Mail Sport understands the pair are highly unlikely to work on any Manchester United match for some time, on top of the immediate suspension. ## Out past the break Pro Ref says neither man will officiate any match until at least after the international break, with the refs' body once more in damage limitation. ## Flagged, then unflagged Haaland's 60th minute strike was ruled out on the field. The Norwegian was judged to have gone beyond United's last defender. ## A boot changed everything VAR stepped in and decided Patrick Dorgu's outstretched boot had played Haaland onside, so referee Michael Oliver was told to overturn his call. ## The man everyone missed Enzo Fernandez was offside and threw himself at the ball right next to Lisandro Martinez and keeper Senne Lammens. That is interference, and the goal should have gone. ## Webb's admission Howard Webb said the VAR pair treated the offence as subjective because Fernandez never touched the ball, but conceded they should have sent Oliver to the monitor. > error of judgement ## Devastated and apologising The former World Cup final referee is said to be devastated by the fiasco. He apologised to United and promised a review of what went wrong. ## Carrick lost for words United's manager said the explanation he got was simply that Fernandez was not interfering with play. He could not make sense of it. > So I just don't get it. I really don't get it. ## All those screens Carrick questioned the point of stacking layers of people, offices and monitors behind referees if the output is still a call like this one. ## As obvious as it gets His verdict was blunt: everyone understands what the interference rule means, and this was not a close reading of it. > I think we all understand what that rule means and it's pretty obvious. ## Standing them down didn't help Pro Ref announced the suspensions on Monday, but the anger from fans, pundits and former players carried on regardless. ## Scrap it, some say Critics argue a system run by humans was never going to remove human error, so the Premier League should drop VAR altogether. ## The vote says no Clubs backed VAR 19-1 at the 2024 poll, and the only objector, Wolves, has since been relegated. Abolition is a long shot. ## Arteta's judo roll Arsenal's manager was furious that Sunderland got a penalty for Ezri Konsa on Dan Ballard, insisting Ballard started the contact. He watched it ten times. > It is a judo roll. That's what it is. This cannot happen. ## Four games, a pile of errors The Key Match Incidents panel found Arsenal were denied a penalty at Villa, that Ian Maatsen should have seen a second yellow, and that Forest's penalty at Liverpool was wrong. ## Spurs left stunned Omar Marmoush went down under Malick Thiaw's contact and got nothing. The panel sided with the referee 4-1, saying the threshold was not met. ## City remember 2023 Inside the club there is a quiet feeling that this evens things up. In January 2023, Marcus Rashford was ruled not interfering as Bruno Fernandes equalised at Old Trafford. ## Guardiola shrugged then City made no official complaint after that 2-1 defeat. Pep Guardiola's response set the tone the club is leaning on now. > Sometimes it happens in our favour, sometimes it's like that. ## Pressure on the chief The mistake was avoidable, which is why it has landed on Howard Webb rather than just two officials. Calls for him to go are growing. ## Key takeaway VAR did not fail on a millimetre offside line. It failed on a judgement call that everyone watching could already see.