Manchester City defeated Manchester United 1-0 at Old Trafford, with Erling Haaland scoring a goal that was disputed by both the home fans and the broader soccer community in the UK.

PGMOL chief Howard Webb admitted that the VAR officials made a mistake in their decision to allow the Norwegian forward’s goal in the 60th minute, as Enzo Fernández was in an offside position and influenced the play.

Webb contacted Manchester United immediately after the match ended, while VAR official Matt Donohue and his assistant, Blake Andropoulos, were removed from the assignments for next week’s Premier League matches.

Enzo Maresca, at the press conference ahead of the match against Norwich in the third round of the Carabao Cup (September 17, 9:30 p.m.), was asked why a different procedure was followed than the one implemented at Manchester City, when he was Pep Guardiola’s assistant during the historic treble-winning season.

Bruno Fernandes had equalized for United at Old Trafford in January 2023, although Marcus Rashford appeared to have influenced the play while in an offside position. A few minutes later, City conceded a second goal to Rashford.

“Sometimes things go your way, and sometimes they go against you,” said the Italian. “Three years ago, when I was here, exactly the same thing happened against Manchester United, and we lost that derby.

The goal shouldn’t have counted, if you remember the play. And no one apologized. We’re still waiting for an apology for that. Sometimes things work in your favor, and sometimes they work against you.”

Maresca chose to focus on City’s performance in the derby, a result that gave his team an eight-point lead over their archrival after four matchdays.

““It’s probably unfair to focus on just one phase of play after a game in which we played for 70–75 minutes with ten players,” the Italian added. “I think our performance was amazing, and I’m very satisfied.

It’s not easy for VAR and for those sitting in front of the screen who have to make a decision within 10–20 seconds. It’s not easy for them. People make mistakes; I make mistakes; players make mistakes.

It’s not easy to be sitting in front of the screen and having to make a decision within 20 seconds or two minutes. It’s a complicated process for them, too.”

*photo source: AP