Manchester City manager Enzo Maresca believes it is “quite poor” that the dispute over Erling Haaland’s winning goal has eclipsed his team’s display in Sunday’s derby at Manchester United.
Quick facts
- Manchester City beat Manchester United 1-0 in the Premier League at Old Trafford.
- Erling Haaland scored after a VAR review, despite City playing most of the match with 10 men.
- Phil Foden was dismissed in the 23rd minute for kicking out at Bruno Fernandes.
- City face Norwich City in the Carabao Cup before hosting Sunderland on Sunday, 20 September.
Haaland struck after an hour, with the goal given when the video assistant referee judged him to be onside. The decision delivered City a fourth consecutive league victory, even though Foden’s red card meant the visitors spent the majority of the contest a player short.
The refereeing error has since dominated discussion of the result after the officials’ governing body acknowledged that the VAR ruling was wrong.
Speaking ahead of City’s Carabao Cup third-round meeting with Norwich, Maresca said the focus should instead have been on his side’s resilience. He argued that dwelling on a single incident was unfair after City had performed with 10 players for roughly 70 to 75 minutes, calling the display “unbelievable” and saying he was delighted with it.
Haaland’s effort had first been ruled out for offside by the on-field officials. A review concluded that the striker was marginally in line with the last defender, prompting the goal to be awarded.
It later emerged, however, that Enzo Fernandez had been in an offside position while diving toward the ball in a central area and affecting the opponents’ play. That offence was not detected during the review.
Maresca said the mistake should be accepted as part of football, noting that decisions can benefit a team on one occasion and go against it on another. He added that everyone was aware an error had occurred and that there was little more to say.
The Italian, who took over from Pep Guardiola during the summer, also recalled a previous VAR controversy involving City and United. He said a similar incident occurred during his time as Guardiola’s assistant in January 2023, when City lost 2-1, and claimed the disputed goal was invalid but that no apology had followed.
“We are still waiting for that apology,” Maresca said.
Howard Webb, head of Premier League refereeing organisation Pro Ref, confirmed that the VAR failed to examine whether Fernandez was offside before Haaland finished the move.
Webb said he was deeply disappointed by the outcome and stressed that the match officials themselves were most upset. Their professional pride, he explained, had been affected after they fell short in handling the situation.
Foden’s dismissal came in the 23rd minute after he kicked out at Bruno Fernandes. United struck the post on both sides of half-time, but Haaland’s contentious goal ultimately settled the match.
Webb said the VAR became too concentrated on Haaland’s position and, after establishing that the forward was onside, assumed the goal was valid. The official did check whether Fernandez touched the ball, since that could have influenced its path toward Haaland, but did not properly assess the wider effect of Fernandez’s position.
City host Norwich tonight before resuming their league campaign against Sunderland on Sunday, 20 September.
