Enzo Maresca Calls Out Refereeing Double Standards

Enzo Maresca is not in the mood for apologies – at least not selective ones.

Days after Pro Ref admitted Erling Haaland’s derby winner at Old Trafford should have been ruled out, the Manchester City manager turned the spotlight back on officials and their bosses, accusing them of double standards and short memories.

Old Wounds, New Fury

Pro Ref’s review concluded that Enzo Fernandez had interfered with play in the build-up to Haaland’s decisive strike on Sunday, prompting referees’ chief Howard Webb to publicly concede VAR had erred.

That contrition went down badly at the Etihad.

For Maresca, the moment Webb held his hands up over this derby instantly dragged him back to another. January 2023. Same stadium. Same fixture. A very different reaction from the authorities.

Back then, Marcus Rashford chased a through ball from Casemiro from a glaringly offside position. He never touched it, but he dragged City’s back line with him. Bruno Fernandes swept in the equaliser on 78 minutes and United went on to win 2-1.

City raged. The goal stood. And, Maresca says, the phone never rang.

“Three years ago when I was here it happened exactly the same against Man United. We lost the derby there. The goal was not a regular goal, if you remember,” he reminded reporters ahead of City’s League Cup tie with Norwich City. “To be honest, no-one apologised. We are still waiting for the apology for that goal.”

The Italian, then assistant to Pep Guardiola, has not forgotten. Nor is he prepared to let the current narrative paint City as the sole beneficiaries of officiating chaos.

‘Quite Poor’ After a Heroic Display

What really stings Maresca is not just the inconsistency. It is the way the conversation has shifted away from what his team actually did at Old Trafford.

City played the bulk of the derby with 10 men after Phil Foden’s red card, yet still found the resilience and quality to win. That, in his eyes, should be the story.

“Talking about one episode or one moment after that game when we played for 70, 75 minutes with 10 players I think is … I don’t know the right word, I think it’s quite poor,” he said. “The second-half performance was unbelievable.”

He has a point. Five wins from five in the Premier League. A derby victory carved out under severe pressure. A squad already showing it can absorb setbacks and still dictate terms.

Instead, the headlines have been dragged back into the familiar swamp of VAR angles, freeze frames and retroactive mea culpas.

VAR Storm Around a Flying Start

The fallout threatens to cloud what has been a blistering start to the Maresca era. City have “stormed out of the blocks”, to borrow the manager’s own phrase, and look every inch like champions intent on staying there.

Playing more than 70 minutes a man down at Old Trafford and still emerging with three points only underlines the control and conviction he has quickly instilled.

Maresca, though, is determined that his team will not bend their football to the technology around it. With VAR absent in the early rounds of the League Cup, he insisted his tactical approach will remain the same. The principles stay. The tempo stays. The risk stays.

The officials may change. The screens may disappear. City’s plan will not.

Rotation, Not Relaxation

Attention now turns to Thursday night and the visit of Norwich City in the League Cup. The Premier League spotlight will dim for a moment, but the demands on the squad will not.

With a perfect league record to protect and a punishing schedule already stacking up, Maresca is expected to rotate heavily. Fringe players and emerging talents should get their chance, while key figures are wrapped in cotton wool for what lies ahead.

Because the games keep coming.

After Norwich, Haaland and the rest will welcome Sunderland to the Etihad on Sunday, another opportunity to extend their flawless domestic run and keep rivals chasing shadows.

The VAR noise will linger, as it always does. The question now is simple: will anyone be able to keep up with City on the pitch, even when the decisions off it refuse to fall their way?