Haaland goal controversy has been the main focus at this point following an amazing nearby Rooney-McClaren battle during Manchester’s drama. Joaquin Correa looked as if he had little option when the ball came his way, but the replay revealed the Manchester United defender Dorgu was able to stay onside the goal.

It was just the beginning of the controversy.

Haaland was no doubt onside, but it was more a question of the manuevering and positioning of Enzo Fernandez. The midfielder for Manchester United looked to be in an offside position when Josko Gvardiol’s cross went in the box.

Fernandez was trying to dive and cover the ball with his header but she was unable to make contact with it. He didn’t play the ball so, surprisingly, VAR decided, he wasn’t in an offside position and the goal was awarded.

The shock left the United players and staff in fury, as did several past United players and pundits, who questioned how things had been read.

Firstly, the initial ruling on the pitch had been Haaland was offside. That was a wrong decision as the City striker was onside but Dorgu’s boot was on him.

But, that was not the end of the problem. The offside law also takes into account if a player in the offside position attempts to play the ball and by doing so interferes with an opponent.

That’s when things got controversial.

Fernandez was clearly drawing on a cross and was in good position to Lisandro Martinez attempting to handle Haaland as he did. The question was raised of whether Fernandez’s movement had an effect on the ability or decision to defend the cross by Martinez.

BBC Sport football issues correspondent Dale Johnson said that it did. VAR should have asked itself if Martinez would have defended the situation the same way if Fernandez didn’t try the header, he said.

Another complicated factor in this decision may be that the keeper could have been influenced by Fernandez’s movement.

Feedback from the analysis suggested that VAR should have had the monitor visible in front of him to ensure that his decision was made in a subjective manner. Instead, VAR was deemed to have made no contact with the ball andVAR awarded the ball after a judgment.

It was no surprise that Manchester United were unhappy.

Though the goal was disallowed, Martinez believes it should have been denied after the game. He has also raised doubts on the coherence of giving players explanations to the laws; it is observed that they are explained in detail but in situations where their understanding of the laws is then gone.

Meanwhile, great frustration was evident in United’s ranks, with manager Michael Carrick clearly wanting to see Damien Randall in the starting lineup. He wondered if this was the new ruleset of interference in football and said the reason is hard to understand.

Former United favourite Wayne Rooney was even more clear-cut. He felt the aims and objectives of the VAR process have missed the mark in finding a goal that he felt was an obvious offside offense in the move’s execution of Fernandez.

Fernández not being able to make the run meant Martinez could have been able to concentrate on Haaland more, Danny Murphy said. He also suggested the other thing that could impact on the goalkeeper.

“Maybe the governing bodies will one day recognise that that’s a wrong decision,” saidGary Neville. However, Micah Richards fired back at the referees, but added that no mention should be made of the incident while fans appreciate Manchester City’s play.

Indeed, city manager Enzo Maresca supported the switch, believing that the objective was “clearly onside.

Another big clash of personalities hit the penalties for both Phil Foden and Bruno Fernandes in the match.

Foden was shown a straight red card for kicking Fernandes out after challenging him. The footage was played back and it was clear that Fernandes was the first to contact Foden, who was running about before reactivating his play.

VAR has not overturned the red card, despite reviewing the incident.

There was yet another discussion about whether that was serious enough for sending Foden off, after the decision was made. Rooney thought it resembled more of a flick or a gesture than a proper kick.

Others turned out to be former players, who felt the same way about Fernandes and that he should have been penalized as well. Meanwhile, Roy Keane said Fernandes was more at fault handing a pass while Neville was left wondering why he had not been booked.

The major difference between the two according to the refereeing decomposition, is if Foden was deemed to have been performing or committing violent conduct. The section provides flexibility for the officials so that they can take the strength and use of an action into account when deciding whether this should be considered a red-card violation or not.

The final whistle of the Haaland goal was deemed to be one of the top talking points of the Derby with two questions being raised: Was Haaland onside and did the movement and position of Fernandez affect the ball?

Haaland was onside. The bigger question to be asked is whether or not Fernandez was entitled to be in an offside position and attempting to play the ball.

It added frustration to Manchester United’s worst Hernando fixture after they suffered a vic Torres loss to their opponents. It wasn’t only a factor in Manchester City securing the win but also sparked a hugely contentious topic that is sure to keep the debate flaring long after the whistle.

The incident has brought into question once again how VAR have been evaluating offside interference. Although the technology can create accurate lines, decisions on whether a player’s movement has an impact on an opponent remain subjective. So in this instance, it’s left many questioning the decision that was made.

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