'I do not go offside' - How Man City superstar Erling Haaland mastered the art of staying onside to haunt Man Utd in Manchester derby

Manchester City secured a tense 1-0 victory against Manchester United at Old Trafford, courtesy of a decisive 60th-minute strike from Haaland. The goal was initially ruled out on the pitch before a VAR intervention deemed the Norwegian to be in an onside position.

However, the Professional Game Referees body later admitted a significant blunder in allowing the goal to stand. Pro Ref conceded that team-mate Enzo Fernandez was actively interfering with play from an offside position just yards away from the goalscorer.

The refereeing body confirmed that the VAR failed to recognise Fernandez's subjective impact on the sequence. They stated that an on-field review should have been recommended, prompting an apology to Manchester United for the "error of judgement."

Haaland was left baffled when the linesman initially raised his flag, revealing he took the official's decision to heart. "I normally don’t go offside, so I talked to [referee] Michael Oliver and said that I took it a bit personal that he thought I was offside," the striker told Sky Sports after the game.

The City star quickly realised the decision would likely be overturned after glancing toward the dugout. He added: "I looked over to Enzo [Maresca], the gaffer, and he gave me a thumbs up, so I kind of knew it was a goal, so I prepared myself a bit to go and celebrate."

When quizzed by Viaplay about his immediate reaction to the flag, Haaland was dismissive of any positional doubts. "No," he replied flatly. "I saw it was a deflection, so I was like maybe somebody touched it or something, I don’t know."

This uncanny spatial awareness is no accident. According to The Athletic, the Norwegian superstar has drastically reduced his offside frequency since joining City, dropping from 0.55 per 90 minutes at Borussia Dortmund to just 0.2. In fact, 43 Premier League players have been caught offside more times than him over the last two years. He even maintained a perfect record during his summer World Cup appearances, avoiding the flag entirely across five matches.

Haaland credits this elite timing to a lifelong dedication to beating the offside trap, a skill he has honed alongside his father. "It’s something I’ve been working on since I was 13 at Bryne and I’m still playing in the same kind of way... just now I’m quicker, better and faster," he explained in a previous interview.

The introduction of technology has only validated his meticulous approach. "If you’re offside with VAR, you have no chance. I think VAR has helped me even more, because you get the decision," Haaland noted. "The truth is actually there that I’m almost never offside."

While City celebrate crucial derby points, the fallout from the officiating blunder will undoubtedly prompt a rigorous review of VAR protocols at Old Trafford. The refereeing body has promised a full investigation into the incident to prevent similar subjective errors in high-stakes fixtures.

For Haaland, the focus remains on extending his relentless goalscoring form. Armed with the statistical proof of his elite positional discipline, opposition defences face an even tougher task trying to catch the Norwegian out with an offside trap.