‘I don’t normally go offside’ – Haaland breaks silence on controversial Manchester Derby goal
By Luke Oluoch, September 14, 2026Erling Haaland appeared to rub salt in the wounds of Manchester United following his post-match comments regarding his controversial goal that saw Manchester City claim the bragging rights in the derby at Old Trafford on Sunday, September 13, 2026.
Speaking after the game, the Norwegian revealed his conversation with referee Michael Oliver before his strike was allowed to stand, leading to the crucial and hotly debated winner for the Sky Blue side of Manchester.
Haaland’s reaction
“I think there was a flick; I thought someone had flicked it. Normally I don’t go offside. I said to Michael Oliver that I took it personally that he thought I was offside, but I looked over to Enzo and the gaffer, and they gave me a thumbs-up, and I kind of prepared myself to go and celebrate,” he said.
The striker also described the away victory as one of their best days out.
“It is always nice to win games; we never take that for granted, especially with ten men for about 60 minutes at Old Trafford. It is difficult at Old Trafford. We all knew it would be tough, a tough atmosphere, but I am proud of everyone, including our fans.”
He also touched on the tactical changes they had to incorporate following Phil Foden’s dismissal in the first half:
“It was a new experience to win with ten. We like to score goals and dominate our games, but we had to sit a bit deeper and try to take our chances when they came. It shows the personality to keep the ball with ten men,” he stated.
His remarks came after the Pro Ref, the refereeing body that oversees Premier League officials, revealed that the goal was wrongly left to stand due to an “error of judgement”.
Pro Ref admits error
In a statement after the match, Pro Ref acknowledged that VAR failed to properly consider the involvement of Manchester City midfielder Enzo Fernandez in the build-up.
The refereeing body said this made the offside decision subjective, but VAR should have considered the likely impact of Fernandez’s position before allowing the goal to stand.
“On this occasion, the VAR did not recognise the likely impact of his position and should have recommended an on-field review,” Pro Ref said in a statement.
The body described the incident as an “error of judgement” and confirmed that it had contacted Manchester United to acknowledge the mistake.