United must go home in injustice after VAR intervention on Haaland

Manchester United must go home with this injustice, says the anger after the controversial VAR intervention on Erling Haaland's winning goal in the Manchester derby, which now leaves the club with a disappointing start of four points from twelve.

Erling Braut Haaland's winning goal came after a measured cross from Robin Gvardiol; the Norwegian striker placed the ball in one motion beneath keeper Senne Lammens and saw it go into the net.

Offside situation and VAR decision

A millisecond earlier, Enzo Fernandez appeared in a clear off‑side position and forced defender Lisandro Martínez to intervene, although he ultimately did not touch the ball. The VAR judged that Fernandez was not actively involved in play, so the goal stood.

Players' reactions to the blunder

Youri Tielemans expressed his frustration: “Martínez is defending Enzo Fernandez and he was clearly off‑side,” and emphasized that the decision was “a judgement error.”

Manchester United icon Gary Neville condemned the refereeing: “There is no doubt that Enzo is trying to play the ball and Martínez is in the way. They simply ignore the rules.” Roy Keane added that United “is being punished for defending well.”

Official explanation and aftermath

Coach Michael Carrick called the decision “stunning” and Lisandro Martínez spoke of “an unacceptable error.” A few hours after the match, the English refereeing department admitted that a “judgement error” had been made and that an on‑field review should have followed.

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The acknowledgment of the error changes nothing about United's poor start to the season: “4 out of 12 is too few, we are aware of that. We must do much better,” said Tielemans, while the club prepares for the upcoming matches.