“Quick, quick, quick, quick! Go, go, go, go, go!” Those frantic words from video assistant referee Matt Donohue, rushing to award Erling Haaland’s winning goal in the Manchester derby, totally blew up in his face. It led to one of the most catastrophic VAR errors the Premier League has ever seen, and frankly, it’s just mind-boggling how they missed it. Donohue and his assistant VAR, Blake Antrobus, inexplicably failed to spot that Enzo Fernandez was a full three yards offside before even trying to head the ball. The goal stood, Manchester City took the 1-0 win against Manchester United, and the fallout has been immediate.
Speed Kills, Or At Least It Makes VAR Blind
The whole world knows the pressure on officials, and VAR has amplified it. But the Premier League made “a more efficient application of VAR to reduce delays” a key principle this season. So, has the push for speed actually cost them accuracy? Donohue’s urgent voice, yelling “Let’s go, let’s go, let’s go, let’s go!” was a dead giveaway. That’s a panicked exchange, not the calm, collected, and methodical review we expect. Fans, pundits, everyone is screaming for quicker decisions, demanding delays are unacceptable. A Premier League survey even highlighted speed as the top improvement needed for VAR. That’s a ton of pressure, sure, but it’s no excuse for getting it this wrong. City boss Enzo Maresca, who benefited from the gaffe, even chimed in with some sympathy on Wednesday. “To make a decision in 10, 20 seconds is not easy for them,” he said. “Sometimes they make mistakes. I make mistakes, players make mistakes. It’s part of our job.” Still, you can’t just miss a player being three yards offside.
The Process Broke Down, Big Time
Referees’ chief Howard Webb says they’re working on quicker reviews, and the stats show some positive impact, with VAR delays dropping from an average of 46 seconds to 36 seconds per game. But here’s the kicker: the only other VAR mistake this season, the failure to award a penalty to Arsenal at Aston Villa, arguably happened because that incident was also cleared too quickly. This Manchester derby mess wasn’t just about speed, though. It was a critical failure in the process. Donohue asked the replay operator to stop the video on the first replay when Josko Gvardiol touched the ball to cross it. Then he immediately jumped to semi-automated offside technology. That’s a huge no-no. The VAR team was supposed to assess the entire picture, from the initial cross right up to Haaland’s head. That would have revealed Fernandez’s position and impact. They didn’t. They didn’t even consider events inside the penalty area until looking at the attacking phase, and by then, they were only focused on if Fernandez touched the ball, which would have made Haaland offside. Antrobus’s role, or lack thereof, was just as critical. His entire contribution to the review? Uttering “no, yeah” about the potential touch by Fernandez, a second before Donohue said “final dec.” You’ve gotta be kidding me.
This whole thing just screams for a re-evaluation of how VAR operates. The balancing act between speed and accuracy is clearly still a work in progress, and incidents like this Manchester derby make you wonder if they’ve tipped too far. The integrity of these huge matches hangs in the balance, and they absolutely have to get it right.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by BBC Sport.
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