ONE TOUCH SUMMARY
- Maresca criticizes media focus on Haaland's controversial winner overshadowing City's 10-man performance.
- Haaland scored the decisive goal after VAR initially reversed an offside call against Manchester City.
- Referees' body admitted error in failing to identify Fernandez's offside interference before the goal.
ONE TOUCH INSIGHT
Maresca’s frustration is less about a single call and more about the way a controversial VAR decision eclipsed a performance that deserved the headlines. City played seventy‑plus minutes with ten men after Foden’s red in the 23rd minute, yet still carved out the chance that led to Haaland’s hour‑mark goal. The officials awarded the strike after deeming the Norwegian onside, but later admitted they never evaluated whether Enzo Fernandez was offside when he challenged the ball, a mistake that Howard Webb called ‘baffling’ and that mirrors an identical error in the January 2023 derby.
The real problem is not City’s tactics but the recurring lapse in VAR protocol that lets a clear offside slip through while the referee’s team becomes hyper‑focused on the scorer. Maresca’s reminder that ‘we are still waiting for the apology’ underlines how the episode has become a distraction from what the side actually achieved on the pitch.
City must now shift the conversation back to the field. Their next test is to win the Carabao Cup tie against Norwich on Thursday at 19:30 BST and then follow up with a Premier League visit to Sunderland on Sunday 20 September at 14:00, letting results do the talking.
WHY IT MATTERS
The incident highlights persistent VAR inconsistencies in high-stakes derbies, fueling debate about systemic fairness. Maresca's reference to past unapologized errors underscores a deepening rift between clubs and refereeing authorities regarding accountability and consistency in decision-making.
Erling Haaland
ST
Norway
Strengths
- ✓Clinical finishing in high-pressure derby situations
- ✓Ability to score decisive goals despite team numerical disadvantage
- ✓Consistent goal threat that forces defensive errors from opponents
- ✓Effective use of positioning to convert VAR-reviewed chances
- ⚠How much does VAR controversy distract from Haaland's actual on-pitch performance metrics?
- ⚠Can Haaland maintain his scoring rate if VAR reviews become more frequent and contentious?
TACTICAL FIT
Haaland's clinical finishing remains vital for City, especially when playing with numerical disadvantages. His ability to convert decisive chances under pressure provides a crucial tactical edge, ensuring the team can secure victories even when tactical plans are disrupted by red cards.
THE DEBATE
Should VAR reviews prioritize full offside context over isolated player positioning?
Enzo Maresca was part of Pep Guardiola's coaching staff at Manchester City before returning as manager
By Adwaidh Rajan
BBC Sport journalist
- Manchester Citymanager Enzo Maresca says it is "quite poor" that the controversy surrounding Erling Haaland's winner has overshadowed his side's performance atManchester Unitedon Sunday.
Haaland's goal on the hour mark, which was awarded after the virtual assistant referee ruled in City's favour, secured a 1-0 Premier League victory despite the visitors playing the majority of the derby at Old Trafford with 10 men following Phil Foden's red card.
The VAR decision was subsequently ruled to be incorrect by the referees' body and the aftermath of City's fourth successive league win has been dominated by the fall out from the incident.
"Talking about one episode or one moment after that game when we played for 70- 75 minutes with 10 players, I think it's quite poor," Maresca said, speaking before Thursday's Carabao Cup third-round tie against Norwich City.
"I think the performance was unbelievable, and I'm pleased with the performance."
Haaland's goal was initially disallowed on the field for offside but the VAR review found the striker was just onside, and the goal was awarded.
However, it soon became apparent that the officials had made an error in failing to identify an offside offence by Enzo Fernandez, diving at the ball in a central position and interfering with opponents.
"There is knowledge that there was a mistake and that's all. Sometimes it goes for you, sometimes against you. It's football," the Italian said.
Figure caption,
Haaland scores controversial winner as Man City win derby despite Foden red
Maresca, who succeeded Pep Guardiola in the summer, said previous VAR decisions have gone against City, including in a 2-1 defeat by United in January 2023.
"Three years ago when I was here [as Guardiola's assistant], it happened the exact same against United," he said.
"The goal was not a regular goal and no one apologised. We are still waiting for the apology for that."
Premier League refereeing body Pro Ref's chief Howard Webb has admitted the VAR did not consider whether Fernandez was offside before Haaland turned home the winner.
"I was really disappointed with this outcome. We all are," said Webb, speaking on 'Match Officials Mic'd Up'.
"None more so than the officials themselves. They take a lot of personal pride in what they do and they're obviously hurting now, having fallen short in this situation."
Figure caption,
Refereeing decisions were 'baffling' - Rooney
Foden was sent off for kicking out at Bruno Fernandes in the 23rd minute and United hit the post either side of half-time before the Norwegian's controversial goal on Sunday.
"The VAR gets super-focused on Haaland," said Webb. "He establishes he's onside, he thinks that's a good goal.
"He doesn't truly evaluate the full impact of Fernandez's position. He has a look to see if he touches the ball, because then that relates to potentially knocking it to Haaland, who goes on to score."
City host Norwich on Thursday (19:30 BST) before returning to league action against Sunderland on Sunday, 20 September (14:00).
Figure caption,
'We're still waiting for our apology' - Maresca
AI-assisted · generated from BBC Sport reporting, not editor reviewed
