Maresca Critiques VAR Focus After Derby Win
Enzo Maresca bristled at the narrative. A derby won with grit, control and a ruthless finish from Erling Haaland, yet all anyone wanted to talk about was a frozen frame and a VAR line.
For Manchester City's head coach, that misses the point entirely.
Maresca bristles at VAR fixation
"It’s quite poor," Maresca said, that the controversy around Haaland’s winner has drowned out what his side actually did at Old Trafford on Sunday.
City played the bulk of the game with 10 men after Phil Foden’s red card, yet still walked out with a 1-0 win over Manchester United and a fourth straight league victory. Haaland struck on the hour, the goal given after a VAR check that initially appeared to vindicate the visitors and then, days later, was officially labelled a mistake.
For Maresca, the performance, not the process, defined the afternoon.
"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," he said ahead of Thursday’s Carabao Cup third-round tie against Norwich City. "I think the performance was unbelievable, and I'm pleased with the performance."
The decision, then the climbdown
On the pitch, the assistant’s flag went up. Haaland was ruled offside. The VAR review followed, lines were drawn, and the Norwegian was judged just onside. Goal given. Old Trafford raged, City celebrated, the derby tilted blue.
Only later did the refereeing body concede the real error. Not in the assessment of Haaland’s position, but in failing to punish Enzo Fernandez for an offside offence as he dived toward the ball in a central area, interfering with opponents. That missed detail turned a tight call into a full-blown storm.
"There is knowledge that there was a mistake and that's all. Sometimes it goes for you, sometimes against you. It's football," Maresca said, shrugging off the noise as best he could.
Old grievances resurface
Maresca, who stepped up to succeed Pep Guardiola in the summer, has seen this movie before. He dipped into his memory and pulled out a grievance from the same fixture.
"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."
The implication was clear: City have lived through their own share of VAR pain. This time, the error happened to favour them. In his eyes, that does not erase the quality of a display that saw 10-man City control a derby at Old Trafford.
Webb admits officials “fell short”
Premier League refereeing body Pro Ref’s chief Howard Webb did not try to sugar-coat it. Appearing on 'Match Officials Mic'd Up', he confirmed that the VAR team failed to consider whether Fernandez was offside before Haaland finished.
"I was really disappointed with this outcome. We all are," Webb said. "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."
The admission will not change the result. It will not soften United frustration. It will not stop the debate.
But for Maresca, whose 10 men imposed themselves in one of the most hostile fixtures on the calendar, the question now is whether his team’s resilience will start to command as many headlines as the technology that keeps tripping over it.
