Enzo Maresca Discusses VAR Controversy After Manchester Derby Win

Enzo Maresca has little time for the noise.

Three days after Manchester City ground out a 1-0 win at Old Trafford with 10 men, the conversation is still circling around one frame of VAR footage and Erling Haaland’s disputed winner. For the City manager, that says more about the debate than it does about his team.

“It’s quite poor,” Maresca said, when asked about the fallout from the decision that allowed Haaland’s goal to stand in Sunday’s Manchester derby. “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. I think the performance was unbelievable, and I’m pleased with the performance.”

City left Old Trafford with a fourth straight league victory, a 1-0 scoreline, and yet another storm over officiating swirling in their wake. Haaland’s strike on the hour, swept in after drifting off the shoulder of the defence, proved decisive. It was also the spark for days of scrutiny.

Initially, the assistant’s flag cut short City’s celebrations. On the pitch, the goal was ruled out for offside. Then came the familiar pause, the lines, the angles, the wait. VAR stepped in, judged Haaland just onside, and the goal was awarded.

The pressure finally told on the officials, not on United. Within 24 hours, the Premier League’s refereeing body accepted that the wrong player had been ignored in the build-up. The focus, they admitted, should have been on Enzo Fernandez, who had thrown himself at the ball from an offside position and interfered with opponents in a central area.

“There is knowledge that there was a mistake and that’s all,” Maresca said, speaking ahead of Thursday’s Carabao Cup third-round tie against Norwich City. “Sometimes it goes for you, sometimes against you. It’s football.”

That, in his eyes, is the story: human error, not conspiracy; a derby won by resilience, not by a replay technician.

Maresca, who stepped into the job in the summer after working under Pep Guardiola, has seen this film before. He was on the City bench in January 2023 when a controversial goal went United’s way in another Manchester derby, a 2-1 defeat that still grates inside the club.

“Three years ago when I was here [as Guardiola’s assistant], it happened the exact same against United,” he recalled. “The goal was not a regular goal and no one apologised. We are still waiting for the apology for that.”

Back then, City felt the calls stacked against them. This time, the break went their way, even if the officials later admitted they had missed Fernandez’s offside involvement. For Maresca, that only underlines his point: decisions swing, narratives stick.

While City’s manager pushed the conversation back towards his players, the refereeing hierarchy chose a different route. Pro Ref’s chief Howard Webb addressed the incident on ‘Match Officials Mic’d Up’, and did not sugarcoat the error.

“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 landed, but it did not change the table, the scoreline, or the mood inside City’s dressing room. They had gone to Old Trafford, lost Phil Foden to a red card, played most of the derby with 10 men, and still found a way to win.

Maresca would rather that be the memory that lasts.