Gary Neville has declared that the officials who awarded Erling Haaland's winning goal in Manchester City's 1-0 victory over Manchester United at Old Trafford were wrong — and that English football's officiating body, Pro Ref, should expect to issue an apology.

The goal was initially ruled out for offside on the pitch, but VAR overturned the decision. Officials determined that Haaland was played onside by Manchester United defender Patrick Dorgu. The Match Centre later confirmed their reasoning in a statement, noting that City midfielder Enzo Fernandez, though in an offside position at the time, did not touch the ball.

Why pundits believe the decision was incorrect

Neville and fellow Sky Sports pundit Micah Richards both argued the explanation focused on the wrong point. The offside law does not require a player to touch the ball to be deemed active — a player in an offside position can still be penalised for interfering with an opponent through movement or by clearly attempting to play the ball.

Fernandez's run toward the ball appeared to distract Manchester United defender Lisandro Martinez, affecting his ability to track Haaland's run to the back post. According to Neville, that constitutes interference under the laws of the game — regardless of whether contact was made.