In display flying, an aerobatic manoeuvre is defined as more than 30 degrees pitch or more than 60 degrees roll. (CAP403) It is common to climb from approved flypast height to aerobatic height in a fluid motion before commencing the full manoeuvre. As long as the pitch attitude has not exceeded 30 degrees by the aerobatic minimum then, the aerobatic manoeuvre has not commenced below the minima. Flying in this way would give an additional margin to the pilot, while keeping the display flowing. Whether or not this manoeuvre was flown in this way is not clear from the initial AAIB report.
The headline in The Mail cannot be justified until they have made a much fuller analysis of the manoeuvre.