Wayne Rooney Slams Manchester Derby VAR Call — Erling Haaland’s Winning Goal Leaves Manchester United Furious
Wayne Rooney led the furious inquest into Manchester City’s controversial derby winner after VAR overturned an on-field offside decision to allow Erling Haaland’s goal to stand.
Haaland struck the only goal of the game on the hour mark, handing Enzo Maresca’s side a memorable Manchester derby victory despite City playing with 10 men for more than an hour after Phil Foden was shown a straight red card for kicking out at Bruno Fernandes.
But the decisive moment quickly became the centre of attention.
Rooney: “Surely It’s Offside”
Haaland’s goal was initially ruled out for offside before VAR intervened.
Replays showed that Patrick Dorgu’s touch had played the striker onside. However, another part of the build-up immediately sparked controversy.
Enzo Fernandez was clearly in an offside position and attempted to reach Josko Gvardiol’s cross. Rooney believed that movement affected Lisandro Martinez and should have been enough to rule the goal out.
Speaking on Match of the Day, the former Manchester United striker delivered a blunt verdict:
“Surely it’s offside. Martinez is impacted by Enzo’s movement, and he is offside.”
That view was shared by another major United voice.
Gary Neville Predicts An Apology
Gary Neville was also unconvinced that VAR had reached the correct conclusion.
The Sky Sports pundit initially called for another look at the incident before arguing that officials could eventually admit they had made a mistake.
“I do think when they look back at this they’ll realise they’ve got it wrong.”
Neville later went even further, suggesting Manchester United could receive an apology from RefPro.
His argument centred on the fact that a player does not necessarily need to touch the ball to be considered interfering with play.
Neville insisted Fernandez’s attempt to reach the cross had affected Martinez and described the decision as “a really strange one.”
Why VAR Allowed The Goal
The Premier League Match Centre account offered a different explanation.
Officials confirmed that VAR checked the original decision and determined that Haaland himself was in an onside position.
The crucial point was Fernandez.
Although he was in an offside position, VAR officials concluded that he had not played the ball, meaning his involvement was not sufficient to overturn the goal.
The Match Centre explained on X that VAR deemed Fernandez’s position did not amount to an offence because he did not play the ball.
That explanation, however, did little to end the argument.
The Red Card Had Already Changed The Derby
The controversy came after another major talking point had already reshaped the match.
Foden was sent off midway through the first half after aiming a kick into the midriff of Fernandes, leaving Manchester City with 10 men for more than an hour.
That made Haaland’s eventual winner even more significant.
