Phil Foden was sent off for violent conduct in Manchester City's 1-0 victory over Manchester United after kicking United captain Bruno Fernandes following a foul. Bruno Fernandes appeared to kick Foden first, but Foden was dismissed for his response, while Bruno Fernandes escaped punishment.

However, there was significant confusion during VAR's review of the incident. The match officials were checking whether a foul by Enzo Fernández on Telleмans warranted a penalty for Manchester United. When referee Michael Oliver showed Foden a red card, VAR official Matt Donoghue appeared confused, asking "Who's been sent off and for what?"

An assistant then directed Donoghue to analyze Bruno Fernandes' kick at Foden, which led to the confrontation between the two players.

The chaotic VAR process surrounding Foden's red card

Referee: No, no, in my opinion the ball was kicked by Enzo Fernández and their feet were side by side.

VAR: Checking for a penalty. Let me look at another angle to confirm he kicked the ball. It looks like he did kick the ball.

Foden was sent off shortly after kicking Bruno Fernandes, Manchester United captain, after being tripped.

VAR Assistant: There may have been a kick.

Referee: Did he kick him there?

VAR: Confirming you believe Enzo kicked the ball - not a penalty.

VAR Assistant: There may have been violent conduct.

VAR: Okay, he's already been sent off, so I don't think this is a penalty. He kicked the ball, right? Okay, now we need to look at other incidents.

So who was sent off here and for what?

VAR Assistant: For the kick - it looks like he fouled first, then both legs went up.

VAR: Michael, the penalty has been checked and confirmed as not a penalty. Please confirm your on-field decision regarding the disciplinary action.

Referee: Red card, Phil Foden. He kicked Bruno Fernandes' body with both feet. Bruno fouled Phil first. I think they got tangled, and Phil kicked him as they separated. But they'll check it.

VAR: In my opinion, this is a clear red card. Note his follow-through. Review the match footage again - can you confirm?

Red card - can you confirm? Confirming red card for number 47 of Manchester City. He kicked the opponent's abdomen with both feet.

Play it back again to confirm Bruno did nothing else. I'm very confident he did nothing. No, he kicked the ball - no issue there.

VAR Assistant: No, this is a different action. Bruno's first kick - that's what they're talking about.

VAR: Very small amplitude, very small. This is outside our intervention threshold. No issue.

VAR Assistant: Yes, I agree.

Howard Webb, head of match officials, said: "I agree with Phil Foden being sent off for violent conduct. He kicked the upper part of Bruno Fernandes with force. We've seen Aston Villa's Jésuás Gomes sent off for similar action. This was seen by the on-field referee and is the referee's decision."

"Replays show that Bruno Fernandes kicked the back of Phil Foden carelessly first. This looks more like careless play than violent conduct. To constitute violent conduct, there would need to be excessive force or brutality. From normal game speed, this action lacks those elements and should have been a yellow card. However, VAR cannot intervene to issue a yellow card."

"If everyone had missed this and Foden wasn't punished, VAR could review whether he should be sent off and simultaneously record that Bruno Fernandes should receive a yellow card. But since the referee has already shown Foden a red card, VAR cannot handle it that way."

Sky Sports reporter Laura Hunter said: The review process for this incident was very messy, but what's most concerning is the judgment of Bruno Fernandes' conduct. VAR official Matt Donoghue was distracted by the preceding penalty check while managing the situation in real time.

His VAR assistant raised questions about whether Foden kicked first. Michael Oliver's quick decision to send off Foden became crucial to the entire outcome. Oliver showed the red card decisively, demonstrating confidence in his decision, so VAR let it stand. It should be noted that the intervention threshold for subjective decisions has been deliberately raised to avoid VAR overturning on-field calls. This remains debated, but in my view, less VAR intervention is better.

Considering Oliver's positioning for the decision and contact between Foden and Bruno Fernandes, most people could accept that Foden's dismissal isn't a "clear and obvious error." Whether the action meets the standard for "violent conduct" does leave room for interpretation.

But the VAR control room failed to detect the action that provoked Foden's response. Why wasn't this scrutinized more thoroughly?

Donoghue said regarding Bruno Fernandes' involvement: "I'm very confident he did nothing." Yet in reality, Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes was the first to commit a foul, and Foden's kick was a reaction after being fouled and kicked.

The fact that Bruno Fernandes wasn't punished for the same action that led to Foden's red card is a glaring oversight. In my view, both should receive the same punishment, especially since Oliver's position on the pitch meant he didn't clearly see the initial incident, and there was no mention of it on the spot.

Isn't the pitch-side monitor available for the referee to use?

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