Maresca: Focus on Football, Not VAR Controversy
Enzo Maresca bristled at the narrative. A derby won with 10 men, a statement performance at Old Trafford, and all anyone wanted to talk about was a frozen VAR frame and a mistake in a studio.
For Manchester City's head coach, that misses the point.
Maresca: Focus on the football, not one frame
"It’s quite poor," Maresca said, when asked about the storm around Erling Haaland’s winner in Sunday’s 1-0 victory over Manchester United. Not the decision itself, but the way it has swallowed the story of a derby his side controlled for long stretches despite Phil Foden’s red card.
"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 added, 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."
City, reduced to 10 after Foden’s dismissal, still found a way. On the hour mark, Haaland struck what proved the decisive blow, a poacher’s finish that initially looked doomed by the assistant’s flag.
On the pitch, the goal was ruled out for offside. VAR intervened, lines were drawn, and the review judged Haaland just onside. The decision flipped, the goal stood, and City walked out of Old Trafford with a fourth straight league win.
Then came the replays. And the admission.
The error that lit the fuse
It quickly emerged that the officials had missed a crucial detail: Enzo Fernandez, in a central position, had dived toward the ball and interfered with opponents from an offside position in the build-up. That offence went unpunished during the VAR check.
Premier League refereeing body Pro Ref later confirmed the mistake. Howard Webb, speaking on 'Match Officials Mic'd Up', did not sugar-coat it.
"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."
For Maresca, the acknowledgement is noted. But it also triggers an old grievance.
"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, almost shrugging at the chaos that has followed.
Then he went back in time.
Old wounds, old Trafford
Maresca, who replaced Pep Guardiola in the summer after previously serving as his assistant, has not forgotten a derby from January 2023, when City lost 2-1 at Old Trafford amid their own VAR fury.
"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 is clear. City have worn the rough end of VAR before without the same public contrition, without the same outcry, without the same forensic dissection.
So while others pore over freeze-frames of Haaland and Fernandez, Maresca prefers to dwell on something else: his team, down to 10 men for most of the afternoon, still dictating the derby and walking away with three points.
A derby defined by resilience, not just VAR
Strip away the controversy and the picture looks very different. City, a man light for the majority of the contest, managed the game with authority. They stayed compact, picked their moments, and when the chance finally came, Haaland did what he does best.
That, in Maresca’s mind, is the real story. The organisation. The discipline. The willingness to suffer at Old Trafford and still find a way to win.
The VAR debate will roll on, as it always does. Webb has admitted the error, the referees’ body has accepted responsibility, and the clip will be replayed for days yet.
Maresca, though, has already moved on. Norwich in the Carabao Cup awaits, another competition, another test. The question now is whether City’s ability to win with 10 men in a hostile derby becomes a defining marker of their season, or just another performance buried beneath the noise of a single, flawed decision.
