In a recent Premier League match between Manchester City and Manchester United, video assistant referee Matt Donohue rushed through the review process, leading to an offside goal being incorrectly awarded to Erling Haaland. The pressure on referees to expedite VAR decisions has intensified due to demands from stakeholders for quicker reviews, reducing delays from 46 seconds per game last season to 36 seconds this season. However, this urgency contributed to a significant error in the Manchester derby, highlighting the tension between speed and accuracy in implementing VAR technology.
Written by the local model on 2026-09-16,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
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"Quick, quick, quick, quick! Go, go, go, go, go!"
The words of video assistant referee Matt Donohue as he rushed through the review to award Erling Haaland's winning goal in the Manchester derby.
asserted
he → go → derby
No doubt Donohue was simply trying to be as efficient as possible, but it led to one of the most catastrophic VAR errors the Premier League has seen.
asserted
League → try → errors
Donohue and his assistant VAR, Blake Antrobus, inexplicably failed to notice that Enzo Fernandez was three yards offside before he tried to head the ball.
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he → fail → ball
The goal was given, and Manchester City beat Manchester United 1-0.
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City → give → United
Refereeing has always been a goldfish bowl of scrutiny and pressure, heightened by the introduction of VAR.
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Refereeing → heighten → VAR
The Premier League made a "more efficient application of VAR to reduce delays" one of its football principles for the season.
Has the game tried to prioritise speed over accuracy?
Rushed and chaotic rather than calm and collected
The urgency in Donohue's voice was all too apparent.
"Let's go, let's go, let's go, let's go!"
It was a panicked exchange between the VAR and the replay operator.
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It → make → VAR
The opposite of how a video official should operate.
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official → operate → ?
Officials hear repeatedly - from fans, pundits, radio phone-ins and newspaper columns - that VAR has to be quicker.
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VAR → hear → fans
In the Premier League stakeholders' survey - which includes managers, coaches and supporters - the key theme for improvements to VAR was the speed of decisions.
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theme → include → decisions
This has to create pressure - but it is no excuse for such an error.
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it → have → error
City boss Enzo Maresca had some sympathy speaking on Wednesday, though he was of course the beneficiary of the gaffe.
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he → have → gaffe
"To make a decision in 10, 20 seconds is not easy for them," said Maresca.
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Maresca → make → them
"Sometimes they make mistakes.
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they → make → mistakes
I make mistakes, players make mistakes.
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players → make → mistakes
Referees' chief Howard Webb has taken the desire for quicker reviews on board, but it is still a balancing act.
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it → take → board
There has been a positive impact, as far as the stats go.
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stats → go → ?
VAR delays - including the referee making an announcement to the crowd - have been reduced, from an average of 46 seconds per game to 36 seconds season-on-season.
Yet the only other VAR mistake, the failure to award a penalty to Arsenal at Aston Villa, also arguably came about because the incident was cleared too quickly.
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incident → include → Villa
Completing a VAR review in the shortest possible time is not about skipping steps.
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Completing → complete → steps
Speed is a factor, but the most serious error in process came before Donohue tried to rush through the attacking phase.
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Donohue → come → phase
Donohue asked the replay operator to stop the video on the first replay when Josko Gvardiol touched the ball to cross into the area.
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Gvardiol → ask → area
He then went immediately into the semi-automated offside technology.
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He → go → technology
This should not have happened.
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This → happen → ?
The VAR team should have assessed the full picture, from the playing of the cross to the head of Haaland.
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team → assess → Haaland
This would have provided awareness of Fernandez's position and impact.
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This → provide → position
They did not, and the events inside the penalty area were not considered until the attacking phase was looked at.
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phase → consider → area
By then, all that mattered to Donohue and Antrobus was whether Fernandez touched the ball.
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Fernandez → matter → ball
This would have created a new phase and placed Haaland offside.
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This → create → Haaland
Donohue has received much of the criticism, but arguably Antrobus' involvement, or lack of, was just as influential.
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involvement → receive → criticism
The AVAR's contribution to the entire review was to utter "no, yeah" about the potential touch by Fernandez.
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contribution → utter → Fernandez
This was one second before Donohue uttered the words "final decision is goal, check complete".
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check → utter → words
Antrobus' role is to provide the checks and balances, to make sure the VAR has not missed anything.
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VAR → provide → anything
This fell short.
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This → fall → ?
A Dan Ballard goal was ruled out for a subjective offside against Kevin Danso.
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goal → rule → Danso
There was a great deal of criticism in some parts of the media for that delay, which took over four minutes.
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which → be → minutes
Could that have played on Antrobus' mind on Sunday?
uncertain
that → play → Sunday
We cannot know for sure.
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We → know → ?
Ironically, Antrobus played a crucial role in steering VAR Tim Wood to the correct offside decision against Danso.
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Antrobus → play → Danso
There is also the role of the support VAR, who sits in the operations room next to the match hub at Stockley Park and can intervene on points on protocol.
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who → be → protocol
Aware of what was unfolding with the review, no action was taken.
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action → unfold → review
It would still have been salvageable in the period between the goal being scored and the kick-off.
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goal → score → period
…and 19 more, not listed.
The Aporia
