MANCHESTER, 16 September 2026 (Ghufran): Manchester City manager Enzo Maresca has expressed sympathy for VAR officials after his team benefited from a controversial decision in their 1-0 Premier League victory over Manchester United at Old Trafford, where Erling Haaland scored the winning goal in the 60th minute after initially being flagged offside, with VAR ruling that United defender Patrick Dorgu had played him onside while failing to account for Enzo Fernandez, who was clearly offside and interfering with play. Refereeing body Pro Ref later acknowledged an “error of judgment” and said the VAR official should have recommended an on-field review. Speaking ahead of Thursday’s League Cup third-round match against Norwich City, Maresca defended the officials, saying VAR decisions can sometimes go for a team and sometimes against it, while mistakes are part of football.
Maresca also expressed frustration that the focus had remained on the controversial goal rather than his team’s performance, particularly after City played for around 70 to 75 minutes with 10 men following Phil Foden’s first-half dismissal. The Italian manager, who replaced Pep Guardiola in June, recalled a similar controversial incident from the 2022/23 season when he was Guardiola’s assistant, when Bruno Fernandes scored for Manchester United despite Marcus Rashford being in an offside position during a 2-1 victory at Old Trafford. Maresca said no one had apologised for that decision and added that football sometimes produces decisions that benefit one team and sometimes another, while stressing that he was pleased with City’s overall performance in Sunday’s derby victory.