Michael Owen has sharply criticised the officiating behind Manchester City’s controversial 1–0 win over Manchester United, describing the decision to allow Erling Haaland’s goal as “really bad officiating” and a VAR “howler.”
Former England striker Michael Owen has described the decision to allow Erling Haaland’s winning goal in Manchester City’s 1–0 victory over Manchester United as “really bad officiating,” insisting Enzo Fernández’s offside position made the incident “glaringly obvious.”
Haaland scored the decisive goal at Old Trafford on Sunday after turning in Joško Gvardiol’s deflected cross in the 60th minute. Referee Michael Oliver initially ruled out the effort for offside, but VAR overturned the decision after determining that Haaland had been played onside by United defender Patrick Dorgu.
The major controversy centred on Fernández, who was in an offside position and attempted to reach the cross before Haaland, although he did not make contact with the ball. VAR concluded that Fernández had not interfered with play, allowing the goal to stand.
Reacting to the decision, Owen told GOAL that Fernández’s involvement should have settled the matter.
“It’s so glaringly obvious that Enzo is offside and he tries to touch the ball. End of story.”
Owen added: “This is really BAD officiating because Man Utd will have to lick their wounds due to a howler from the VAR. It’s UNBELIEVABLE.”
His criticism came after Pro Ref, the body responsible for overseeing professional refereeing in England, admitted that the VAR had made an error of judgement in the incident. The organisation said the video assistant referee failed to recognise the likely impact of Fernández’s position and should have recommended an on-field review.
Pro Ref also confirmed that it had contacted Manchester United to acknowledge the mistake.
“Contact has been made with Manchester United this evening to acknowledge what we deem is an error of judgement.”
The admission reinforced United’s frustration over the decision, with manager Michael Carrick questioning how the goal was allowed to stand despite Fernández’s movement towards the ball and his proximity to defender Lisandro Martínez. Former Premier League referee Dermot Gallagher also argued that Fernández’s actions amounted to interference and that the goal should not have been awarded.
The disputed goal proved decisive in a match Manchester City played with 10 men for more than an hour following Phil Foden’s dismissal for kicking Bruno Fernandes. Despite enjoying a numerical advantage, United failed to find an equaliser, while City held on for a fourth consecutive league victory under manager Enzo Maresca.
Although Pro Ref’s admission does not change the result, it has intensified debate over the interpretation of offside interference and the effectiveness of VAR in decisive Premier League moments.