Wayne Rooney gives best take yet on Erling Haaland's controversial Manchester derby goal

Wayne Rooney has said what every Manchester United fan was thinking after the controversial VAR call which saw Manchester City win yesterday’s Manchester derby.

On Sunday (September 13), City, who played with 10 men for the majority of the match after Phil Foden was sent off for kicking out at Bruno Fernandes, snatched a late victory courtesy of Erling Haaland.

Initially, the Norwegian’s 60th-minute strike was disallowed on the field for offside before the decision was overturned following a VAR intervention which ruled that Patrick Dorgu’s boot was playing Haaland onside.

Fans and pundits were left confused by the call, with many suggesting Enzo Fernández, who attempted a diving header, was interfering with play.

Shortly after the decision, the Premier League posted the following statement to its match centre, explaining the call: “VAR checked the referee’s call of no goal for offside – and determined that Haaland was in an onside position and recommended that the goal was awarded. The VAR also deemed that while in an offside position, Fernandez didn’t play the ball.”

But later on Sunday evening, Pro Ref, the Premier League’s refereeing body, admitted to an “error of judgement”.

“It was established that Enzo Fernandez did not play the ball and therefore that makes any offside offence subjective,” the statement read.

“However, on this occasion, the VAR did not recognise the likely impact of his position and should have recommended an on-field review.

“Contact has been made with Manchester United this evening to acknowledge what we deem is an error of judgement. A review of the incident will take place.”

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This came after United centre-back Lisandro Martínez hit out at the decision during a post-match interview.

Speaking to Sky Sports, the South American called the decision to award Haaland’s goal an “injustice”.

Martínez said: “What I can’t understand is the rules, you know? He was there. I went to him because he was in front of me. That’s why Haaland was free, but I want to be calm now. I want to control myself.

“So hard because you lost the derby, three points at home. Every time they come to our club, they explain one hour, hour and a half with the rules. Then, after five or six people doing this kind of mistake in the PL, it is unacceptable.

“You have the best players, best teams in the world and now we have to go home with this injustice.”

Wayne Rooney dubs VAR 'horrendous' after controversial Manchester derby decision

Later in the evening, while speaking on BBC’s Match of the Day, ex-United forward Rooney didn’t hold back when giving his take, with the pundit suggesting that “anyone who has played the game at any level understands he [Fernandez] is in an offside position”, despite the midfielder not touching the ball.

“I’m just so sick of VAR, I think it’s horrendous," he said. "It takes all the emotion out of the game, the energy which the game is played with, and to not see that and recognise that Enzo Fernandez is in an offside position…. To get it so wrong is just baffling.”

Fellow pundit and former Liverpool midfielder Danny Murphy agreed with Rooney, branding the decision a “bad one” and admitting that he is finding it difficult to give officials the benefit of the doubt on this occasion.

Man United return to action in the third round of the Carabao Cup against Brighton on Wednesday (September 16).