Derby CONTROVERSY: Pro Ref Admits VAR Error As 10-man City Stun United

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Manchester City's 1-0 victory over Manchester United at Old Trafford will be remembered as one of the most remarkable Manchester derbies in recent years, but it will also be remembered for two major refereeing controversies.

City played for more than an hour with 10 men after Phil Foden was shown a straight red card in the 23rd minute for kicking out at Bruno Fernandes. Foden lashed out at Fernandes who kicked him while he was on the ground. Fernandes went unpunished, with Foden seeing red.

Despite the numerical disadvantage, City held their nerve and eventually found a winner through Erling Haaland in the 60th minute.

But the goal has since become the biggest talking point of the match.

Haaland's goal was initially ruled offside before VAR intervened and overturned the decision.

The technology determined that Haaland himself was in an onside position, with Patrick Dorgu playing him onside.

However, there was another issue.

City's Enzo Fernandez was in an offside position and attempted to play the ball during the build-up. Manchester United argued that his movement interfered with Lisandro Martínez and therefore should have resulted in the goal being ruled out.

After the match, Pro Ref; the body responsible for overseeing elite refereeing, admitted that VAR had made an error.

Pro Ref said the VAR should have considered Fernandez's proximity to the ball and his influence on Martinez, with referee Michael Oliver potentially needing to conduct an on-field review.

That admission will only add fuel to the debate surrounding one of the most controversial Manchester derby goals in recent memory.

United manager Michael Carrick was furious with the decision, while former referee Dermot Gallagher also argued that the goal should not have stood.

City's victory was historically significant.

They became only the second team in Premier League history to beat Manchester United at Old Trafford while playing with 10 men.

That makes Sunday's result even more remarkable.

City were reduced to 10 men with more than an hour remaining, yet United were unable to take advantage of the extra player.

Marcus Rashford and Kobbie Mainoo both struck the woodwork, while Gianluigi Donnarumma produced several important saves as City defended their lead.

Ultimately, Haaland's goal was enough. City left Old Trafford with all three points, a perfect start to the league season and one of the most unusual derby victories in recent memory.

But with Pro Ref now admitting the VAR error, the debate over whether Manchester City deserved to win this derby is unlikely to disappear anytime soon.

Was Haaland's goal correctly allowed to stand?

And should Bruno Fernandes have received a red card alongside Phil Foden?