Good morning. The Premier League’s refereeing body admits an error of judgement in Erling Haaland’s Manchester derby winner, Cristiano Ronaldo calls for lifetime bans over crude fan chants, and everything else you need to know.
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KEY FIXTURE
Premier League MD4 (Sept 14): Leeds United vs Newcastle United, 20:00 BST / 15:00 ET. Leeds have lost just one of their last 12 Premier League games and are unbeaten so far this season. Meanwhile, following a 2-0 win at Spurs last month, Newcastle are looking to win consecutive away league games for the first time since April 2025. See the Premier League table here.
Results…
TOP TALKING POINTS
VAR Admits Error
Premier League refereeing body Pro Ref has admitted an “error of judgement” in allowing Erling Haaland’s winning goal in Manchester City’s derby victory over Manchester United. Haaland’s 60th-minute finish was initially ruled out for offside before VAR overturned the decision, ruling that Patrick Dorgu’s boot had played the striker onside. Watch the goal here.
The controversy centred on City’s Enzo Fernandez, who was in an offside position and attempted to head the cross before it reached Haaland. Although Fernandez did not touch the ball, Pro Ref said VAR failed to recognise the impact his movement may have had on United defender Lisandro Martinez and should have recommended an on-field review. The organisation has since contacted United to acknowledge the mistake.
Martinez called the decision an “injustice”, while United boss Michael Carrick said he was “confused” by the interpretation. The incident capped a controversial derby in which City had already been reduced to 10 men after Phil Foden was sent off for kicking out at Bruno Fernandes in the first half. Read the full match report here.
City’s win means they are level on points with league leaders Arsenal, while United sit 13th, taking four points from four games.
Ronaldo Demands Lifetime Bans
Cristiano Ronaldo has called for fans to be banned from stadiums for life after Ruben Neves appeared to be taunted with chants about his late friend and Portugal team-mate Diogo Jota. Footage from Al Hilal’s 6-0 win at Al Taawoun shows chants of “Jota” coming from the stands as Neves prepares to take a free-kick.
Jota died in a car crash alongside his brother Andre Silva in Spain last year, aged 28. He was a close friend of Neves after the pair played together for Wolves and Portugal. Neves, who now wears Jota’s number 21 shirt for the national team, has a tattoo of the two embracing on his calf.
“The league must take action and punish this kind of fan behaviour,” Ronaldo wrote on social media. “This is no longer football, and there have to be limits. People who behave like this should never be allowed to enter a stadium again.” Neves responded to the chants by sarcastically applauding the supporters, pointing towards the sky and gesturing towards the stand. After the match, he said: “I just hope they don’t go to pray later after what they did.”
New Fans Targeted
Premier League club Sunderland are looking to attract new supporters in the United States as part of a push to grow revenue under tighter top-flight financial rules, the Financial Times reported. The club believes expanding its overseas fanbase can strengthen commercial income and give it more room to spend on players and facilities.
Chief executive Tom Burwell said Sunderland are targeting post-industrial cities including Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and Detroit, where the club believes its history of mining, shipbuilding and regeneration can resonate. After a pre-season tour of the US, Burwell said Philadelphia “really resonated strongly”, while adding that New York and Los Angeles were unlikely to be priority markets.
The push comes as new Squad Cost Rules increase the importance of commercial revenue for Premier League clubs. Teams with stronger off-field turnover have greater room to spend, while those competing in Europe, like Sunderland, face tighter limits. Sunderland will play their first European fixture since 1973 on Wednesday against AZ Alkmaar in the Uefa Europa League.
Dive deeper into the Premier League’s new financial rules here.
ON THE BALL
Europe
• Kylian Mbappe has six goals in the opening five La Liga matches following his brace in Real Madrid’s 4-1 win over Rayo Vallecano (Match Report) | Valencia have sacked their head coach Carlos Corberan as they sit at the bottom of the league after five matches (More); see the La Liga table (More)
• Rangers beat Celtic 3-0 in the Scottish League Cup quarter-final in the first Old Firm derby of the season (More)
• Harry Kane scored his 100th Bundesliga goal for Bayern Munich in 97 games following his winner against Elversberg (More); Freiburg and Borussia Dortmund are the only teams to win all three opening games; see table (More)
• Paris Saint-Germain secured their first win of the Ligue 1 season with a 1-0 away victory at Brest; LOSC, Monaco and Rennes are jointly leading the table on 10 points (Table)
• London City Lionesses lost 2-1 to West Ham in the Women’s Super League despite their new superstar signings (More); see the WSL table (More)
• The Romanian FA has introduced a new black card to prevent abusive behaviour from parents at youth matches (More)
Americas
• Lionel Messi scored his 928th career goal in Inter Miami’s 2-2 draw with MLS Eastern Conference leaders Nashville; watch the goal (More); see every MLS result (More) and Standings (More)
• Washington Spirit dropped points to widen the gap with first-place Gotham FC at the top of the NWSL to five points in a 3-0 home loss to Boston Legacy; see the NWSL table (More)
Rest of the World
ROUTERS’ VOICE
Friday’s Poll: Should players be able to terminate their contract if they're frozen out of the squad?
🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 👍 Yes (65%)
🟨 🟨 🟨 ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ 🙅♂️ Nope (33%)
🟨 ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ✍️ Other (2%)
Your punditry takes:
👍 S.H: “If a player is being denied the right to work, then they should be able to look elsewhere. A playing career is short, and not being in a squad not only prevents them from playing now but also the chance at a future contract of any significance.”
👍 K.P: “Yes, as long as there are clear rules that prevent misinterpretation and the player just walking away because he/she is unhappy. It is a short career, and seeing players not getting a game is unfair and must be frustrating for them. Would they, if proven to be ‘frozen’ out, be allowed to sign for another club? I see a few loaned players just warming the bench. This is another problem for some of them. Could keep the lawyers busy.”
🙅♂️ J.B.C: “Nope, if such a provision is not included in their existing contract. If they want to include such a 'performance' clause on the club, the quid pro quo may well be a host of 'performance' clauses linked to, ahem, poor performance by the player and setting out related wage reductions. Possibly a door the player and his agent might not want to open.”
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GAME FACE ON
Question: Name the past five permanent and caretaker Real Madrid managers.
Scroll below for the answer.
Daily Wordle: Guess the football-related word, from player names to classic phrases, in six tries or fewer. Play it here.
Every season the officials come to our club and spend an hour explaining the rules, and they look so confident.
Answer
Jose Mourinho. Alvaro Arbeloa. Xabi Alonso. Carlo Ancelotti. Zinedine Zidane.