Why the officials awarded Bruno Fernandes’ goal despite controversy surrounding Marcus Rashford’s offside position

Both teams entered the game in excellent Premier League form, and the three points were critical to their top-four and title ambitions.

After replacing City academy product Phil Foden in the 60th minute, Jack Grealish opened the score.

Bruno Fernandes then scored in the 78th minute, although the goal was initially disallowed owing to Marcus Rashford’s offside position during the buildup.

As a result, Fernandes and his teammates hounded the on-field officials because Rashford had not really touched the ball, implying that his placement had no bearing on the outcome of the attack.

The goal stood after further review by the VAR crew.

In the 82nd minute, 18-year-old Alejandro Garnacho assisted Wythenshawe-born Rashford to give the Red Devils the lead. It was the 16th goal of the season for the England international.

Fernandes comments on a significant triumph
After the game, Fernandes spoke to BT Sport about his equalizer, saying, “I suppose Marcus thought I was in a better position since I was facing the goal,” referring to Rashford’s choice to leave the ball.

“I didn’t know if any of us were offside or not, but it didn’t make a difference because no one was close to him, so the team [City] needs to defend. The only one nearby was one that was close to me.

“To be honest, winning the game is always crucial. As the manager stated prior to the game. It makes no difference who the opponent is; what matters is that we win, and we did. It was an incredible comeback and a wonderful team effort.

“I told it before the game to the team: ‘we look like a team now’. Some time ago, you saw a team, and sometimes we looked for ourselves. You can now observe a team that works hard for one another. You can see how it pays.”