Webb Blames VAR ‘Tunnel Vision’ For Haaland Goal Controversy Against Man United

Premier League refereeing chief Howard Webb has disclosed that VAR officials suffered from tunnel vision during the Manchester derby, leading to a major error in awarding Erling Haaland’s controversial goal for Manchester City against Manchester United.

Speaking on the Mic’d Up show, Webb confirmed that the goal should have been disallowed. The on-field referee initially flagged the play for offside against Erling Haaland.

However, the VAR (Matt Donohue) and assistant VAR quickly checked the automated lines and correctly determined that Haaland was actually onside by a narrow margin.

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Webb explained that because the video room became entirely fixated on Haaland’s position and checking for a direct touch from Fernández, they failed to evaluate Fernández’s broader impact on the defense.

“We felt it was important that we acknowledged an error in the situation,” Webb said.

“We know that Erling Haaland was penalised for offside and wasn’t in an offside position. We also know that Enzo Fernandez, who was in an offside position, almost certainly interfered with the Manchester United defence and probably the goalkeeper.

“I was really disappointed with this outcome, we all were. None more than the officials. They take personal pride in what they do and they are hurting now after falling short in this situation. They will not be officiating until after the international break.

“We have reached out to Manchester United and acknowledged the error, as we do when these things happen and they do not happen often. We want to ensure we are transparent and open.

“We have played the audio and footage to the club to let them know what happened. We will review the situation to understand what elements of the process fell down in this situation which meant we didn’t get to the right outcome.”

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Webb added: “The on-field decision was not against Fernandez, it was against Haaland. When the VAR starts their check, they see that Haaland is actually onside by three centimetres.

“The VAR gets super focused on Haaland. He establishes he is onside but when he runs it through the full APP (full attacking possession phase), he doesn’t truly evaluate the full impact of Fernandez.

“In that moment, he gets tunnel vision but it is down to the rest of his team to pull him out of that tunnel but unfortunately, that did not happen on this occasion. This goal should have been disallowed.”