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13 September 2026

Rooney and Murphy call VAR decision on Haaland goal 'baffling' but back Foden red card

Downunder Voices Newsroom

Source reporting: BBC Sport https://feeds.bbci.co.uk/sport/rss.xml

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Rooney and Murphy call VAR decision on Haaland goal 'baffling' but back Foden red card

Wayne Rooney and Danny Murphy said they found it "baffling" that Erling Haaland's winning goal in the Manchester derby was not ruled out by VAR, while agreeing Phil Foden's red card was the correct decision. The Match of the Day pundits aired their reaction on the programme, with both singling out the lack of intervention to overturn Haaland's strike as particularly hard to understand. At the same time, Rooney and Murphy expressed clear support for the referee's choice to send off Foden, judging that the red card was the proper call. The pair's comments add to the post-match scrutiny of officiating decisions surrounding the derby, highlighting contrasting opinions on two match-defining moments.

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Why this matters

High-profile pundits questioning VAR consistency can increase pressure on refereeing bodies to clarify or adjust video-review protocols.

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Downunder Voices provides an independently written summary and community perspective based on information published by the original source. The original publisher remains responsible for its reporting.

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Source: Guardian Australia PoliticsOriginal source
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Source: https://www.bing.com/news/search?q=Australia&qft=sortbydate%3d%221%22&format=rssOriginal source
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