The Video Assistant Referee who was responsible for incorrectly awarding Erling Haaland's winning goal during last month's Manchester derby has officially been reinstated to Premier League duty. Following the high-profile error that decided the encounter, the match official is now formally set to make a return to active officiating in the English top flight.
The controversy originated in last month's Manchester derby fixture involving Man Utd, where a pivotal decision directly impacted the outcome. In that contest, Haaland was awarded what proved to be the winning goal following a review by the VAR. However, the ruling to allow the decisive strike was later confirmed to have been an incorrect call, acknowledging that the match-winner was wrongly awarded.
The decision to mistakenly validate Haaland's winner against Man Utd placed immense scrutiny on the officiating within the competition. Awarding a winning goal in error during a fixture as significant as the Manchester derby represented a critical misjudgment, resulting in the VAR being taken off match assignments in the period following last month's incident.
With the reinstatement now officially confirmed, the VAR is cleared to resume Premier League duty going forward. The return marks the conclusion of the official's absence following the derby mistake, though attention will remain on officiating decisions as the official steps back into Premier League action following the wrongly awarded Haaland winner.