Enzo Maresca laments focus on Erling Haaland’s controversial Manchester derby goal as ‘quite poor’

Manchester City manager Enzo Maresca has criticized the excessive focus on Erling Haaland's controversial goal during last weekend's Manchester derby. The game saw City down to 10 men after Phil Foden received a red card for kicking Bruno Fernandes, but the post-match attention was mainly on Haaland's winning strike despite the offside infringement of teammate Enzo Fernandez.

The Manchester refereeing body Pro Ref acknowledged an "error of judgement" in allowing the goal to stand. Maresca expressed sympathy for the VAR and officials, noting the difficulty of making quick decisions. He drew a parallel to a similar incident in a previous Manchester derby three years ago when a goal was allowed despite an offside situation, and City's protest went unanswered.

Maresca emphasized that the focus should remain on City's "unbelievable" performance, despite playing the majority of the game with 10 players. He also mentioned the disappointment of Foden's suspension but stated that they would move on, and that the team would rotate their squad for the upcoming League Cup tie against Norwich.