The Manchester Derby was not shy of controversy, as VAR decisions have dominated the post-match conversations of this Premier League clash. The discussion has largely shifted towards the referee decisions rather than the product on the pitch. With a first-half red card shown to Phil Foden and an originally disallowed goal given, VAR played a big role. Defender Lisandro Martinez and head coach Michael Carrick were both quick to question the validity of Man City’s goal in post-match interviews with Sky.
Lisandro Martinez unhappy with decision to award City’s goal
Manchester United defender Lisandro Martínez was a part of the build-up for City’s goal and was tasked with marking both Enzo Fernandez and Erling Haaland when the cross came into the area. He didn’t hold back his frustration with the officiating, telling Sky, “I think it was offside… I can’t understand the rules!. Every season they explain for one hour the rules, they look so confident with that, and then after five, six people doing these kinds of mistakes in the Premier League – it’s unacceptable! This is injustice.”
Michael Carrick displeased with VAR decision
The debate further continued after Michael Carrick also expressed his displeasure with the referees’ decision. “How you can say Enzo Fernandez does not interfere with the play literally is beyond me. It’s staggering… It’s really weird to me how that’s interpreted.”
Carrick went on to say that the officials’ reasoning only made the decision more confusing. He told Sky, “I could not understand it when I saw it, and then the explanation made it worse.” Carrick also questioned the lines that VAR drew when assessing if Haaland was in an offside position or not. “Where they drew the line was a bit dubious. It’s worrying if that’s how the game is seen by the officials. We try to help referees to come up with the right decisions, it’s that how the rules are interpreted.”
Despite the poor result for United, Carrick acknowledged the positives about his team’s performance. “Before Haaland’s goal, we were the better team. We are a good team. We’ll get back to winning games.”
Pro Ref acknowledges a mistake was made
The governing body overseeing Premier League officiating later confirmed that a mistake had been made. In a statement, Pro Ref explained: “Following the incident in the 60th minute of Sunday’s Premier League fixture between Manchester United and Manchester City at Old Trafford, we can provide clarification regarding Erling Haaland’s awarded goal. The on-field decision was offside against Erling Haaland – that was checked by VAR, and he was found to be in an onside position. In the same attack, it was established that Enzo Fernandez did not play the ball and therefore that makes any offside offence subjective. However, on this occasion, the VAR did not recognise the likely impact of his position and should have recommended an on-field review. Contact has been made with Manchester United this evening to acknowledge what we deem is an error of judgement. A review of the incident will take place.”
What’s next for Manchester United?
Manchester United’s next chance at turning their form around will be on Wednesday in Carabao Cup action against Brighton.
