In football and other sports it is often said that the referee has had a good game when they go unnoticed and after the contest nobody mentions them. On that basis, it is safe to say that Michael Oliver and the VAR team for the first Manchester derby of the 2026/27 season did not have a good game. Far from it.
Big derbies and big moments often go hand in hand, with high-profile clashes often attracting greater attention and pressure, the latter of which can cause errors from managers, players and officials. Let’s be kind and suggest that the two biggest talking points from City’s 1-0 win over Man United, both mistakes from the officials, were down to pressure rather than incompetence or anything more sinister.
Game Settled by Offside Goal
Man City won 1-0 thanks to a goal from Erling Haaland in the 60th minute. In the post-match analysis Sky Sports attempted to create some debate around the decision and replayed it endlessly, which was rather odd given that everyone agreed it was offside. Everyone other than VAR, that is.
It was not a straightforward decision in the sense that there were various elements to examine and consider. There was a deflection on the cross, the scorer Haaland was very marginally onside and a lot was going on in the box. However, City’s Enzo Fernandez was very clearly offside, and once the other issues were considered and dealt with, it should have been a simple enough decision to rule the goal out.
The Argentine attempted to head the ball towards goal in front of his national teammate Lisandro Martinez. He very obviously tried to play the ball and just as clearly affected Martinez and the play in general. The defender attempted to challenge Fernandez but neither of them managed to get anything on the ball and it went past them and beyond the far post, where a certain giant Norwegian was lurking.
Haaland did what Haaland does and produced an excellent finish, but the offside rules, which Sky showed repeatedly, made it clear that even though Fernandez did not touch the ball, he was definitely active and offside. The officials inside the ground had incorrectly given Haaland offside but when the technology demonstrated he was just onside, the goal had to stand. Unusually in football, opinion was unanimous on this, and we are yet to hear a dissenting voice, with Pro Ref, the refereeing body for the Premier League, admitting almost immediately that there had been an error.
Apparently these things even out over the course of the season. And no doubt 130 charges of financial doping even themselves out too if left long enough!
But City can Feel Hard Done by Foden Red
Earlier in the game, after 23 minutes, we had the first huge controversy when Phil Foden was shown a straight red card. This decision was far less clear-cut, with fans and pundits disagreeing. What we can say with greater certainity, however, is that once the red had been awarded, VAR was correct not to overturn it.
Phil Foden is SENT OFF in the Manchester derby! 🟥 pic.twitter.com/sDkHoLMnjL
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) September 13, 2026
Bruno committed a foul on Foden, and then when the England man was on the floor, Bruno administered a kick to his back. From the ground, with his feet in the air, Foden kicked (or possibly flicked) out at the United man, who of course reacted as if he had taken a Mike Tyson uppercut to the groin.
Many fans would have been content with a freekick to City and play on. Personally, we would have booked Bruno for his theatrics. Perhaps a more common view was that a yellow card for each player would have been a fair decision, with neither action dangerous or applied with any real force.
Oliver, who was further away from the incident than might have been ideal, reached for his red card straight away. It is often said that refs should give themselves a moment to think, and this was one of those occasions when, had the official done that, we suspect the decision would have been different.
Foden did enough to mean that he gave Oliver something of a decision to make, and it was undoubtedly stupid to kick out the way he did. However, sending a player off 23 minutes into a local derby for something so insignificant was not great reffing. Once the card had been given, however, VAR could not really overturn it, while Bruno’s initial foul and kick also fell well below the high bar needed this season to be pulled up for a red card (with VAR unable to intervene to suggest a yellow).
Right Result in the End
Both incidents had an impact on the match but thankfully we got the fair result in the end. United could, and really should, have snatched a late equaliser, with Bryan Mbeumo having an excellent chance well saved by Gianluigi Donnarumma at the death. The save earned City two points and perhaps saved the officials from even greater scrutiny.
Enzo Maresca’s men were superb despite playing three quarters of the clash with 10 men. Marc Guehi, Elliott Anderson and others, including sub Illiman Ndiaye, were all brilliant, as the away side more than held their own in a game that, key incidents aside, was not a particularly great spectacle.