Rooney Slams 'Baffling' VAR Miss as Haaland's Derby Winner Stands — With World Cup 2026 Looming

The latest Manchester derby will be remembered not for Erling Haaland's decisive strike, but for the technology that failed to catch what two of English football's sharpest minds saw instantly. Speaking on Match of the Day, pundits Wayne Rooney and Danny Murphy made no attempt to hide their disbelief at the decision to let Haaland's winning goal stand, with Rooney describing the error as nothing short of 'baffling' (BBC Sport). For a fixture of this magnitude — one watched by millions around the globe — the expectation is that VAR exists precisely for moments like these. Yet the review system, introduced to eliminate controversy, instead became the story itself, leaving players, supporters and pundits alike asking how such a call could be missed on one of the biggest stages in club football. Murphy echoed his fellow pundit's frustration, arguing the evidence was there for officials to act upon. When men who have spent their lives in the professional game can identify the problem within seconds of a replay, the failure of a multi-million pound system to reach the same conclusion is, in their view, indefensible. The criticism, however, was not one-sided. Both Rooney and Murphy found common ground with the on-field officials over Phil Foden's dismissal, agreeing the red card shown to the midfielder was the correct call. Their unified stance on that decision lent credibility to their outrage over the goal — this was not a panel reflexively attacking referees, but one drawing a clear line between a call the officials got right and one they inexplicably did not. The controversy adds fresh fuel to a debate that has simmered since VAR's introduction. Promised as a cure for officiating injustice, the system has too often traded one form of controversy for another, with fans left celebrating or despairing at a screen rather than a goal. And the stakes are only getting higher. With the FIFA World Cup 2026 on the horizon — an expanded 48-team tournament co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico — the global spotlight on officiating standards will intensify like never before. If a derby decision can provoke this level of pundit fury, the fallout would be seismic were a World Cup knockout tie to hinge on a similar lapse. For now, the derby result stands and Haaland's goal will be entered into the record books. But the more lasting damage may be to confidence in the system itself. As Rooney and Murphy made clear, when the technology is available and the answer is obvious, getting it wrong is not merely unfortunate — it is, quite simply, baffling.