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Premier League referees' chief Howard Webb described Bruno Fernandes's kick at Phil Foden as "petulant" rather than "violent," a distinction that ultimately saved Manchester United's skipper from receiving a red card in Sunday's Manchester derby.
Foden wasn't afforded the same leniency.
Manchester City's creative midfielder became embroiled in a confrontation with his United rival midway through the opening half. Foden collapsed over the ball and was struck twice by Fernandes's boot. Before referee Michael Oliver could intervene, the English midfielder took matters into his own hands, launching his studs toward Fernandes's chest.
Foden was promptly shown a red card and was furiously escorted from the field by his teammates. Even City boss Enzo Maresca conceded that his player had been rightfully punished for the moment of madness. Yet in the Italian manager's view, Fernandes deserved the same punishment. "Phil's card is a red card," Maresca told reporters following a hard-fought 1–0 victory at Old Trafford, "but I also think the same action is a red card by Bruno."
Webb saw things differently.
The Small Difference Between Foden and Fernandes's Kicks
"I agree with the red card for Phil Foden," referees' chief Webb stated on a new episode of Match Officials Mic'd Up. "He kicks out with force into the upper body of Bruno Fernandes.
"Now, when you look at the footage, there is that petulant kick by Bruno Fernandes into the backside of Foden. It is more petulant than violent.
"To constitute violent conduct, it must involve excessive force or brutality. When you examine that incident, particularly at full speed, it doesn't meet those criteria. Therefore, this would only warrant a yellow card."
Ultimately, this comes down to interpretation and a judgment call that VAR was never going to overturn — such a subjective decision hardly constitutes a "clear and obvious error." The same, however, cannot be said for the other major controversy from Sunday's match.
Why VAR Missed 'Obvious' Offside Call
The derby had barely ended when Pro Ref acknowledged VAR's erroneous decision to allow Erling Haaland's winning goal for City to stand. As the governing body explained — much to Michael Carrick's frustration — Enzo Fernández should have been ruled as interfering with play when he dived in front of Lisandro Martínez from an offside position. United's furious manager stated: "It's as obvious as it gets."
Webb acknowledged the mistake while shedding light on how video assistant referee Matt Donohue and his assistant Blake Antrobus had come to make such an error.
"The VAR becomes laser-focused on Haaland," Webb explained. "He confirms he's onside and concludes it's a valid goal. He doesn't fully assess the overall impact of Fernández's position. He checks whether he touches the ball, since that could relate to potentially playing it to Haaland, who goes on to score.
"In that moment, he develops tunnel vision. It falls on the rest of his team to bring him out of that tunnel, and unfortunately, that didn't happen on this occasion."
Webb called the entire episode "really disappointing" — one of the few sentiments that Carrick would have wholeheartedly agreed with.