Maresca defends VAR officials after Man City benefit from error

Enzo Maresca, Manchester City's manager, expressed disappointment that the VAR decision granting Erling Haaland the winning goal against Manchester United overshadowed his team's performance in the 1-0 derby victory while playing with 10 men. Haaland scored in the second half, initially disallowed for offside before being confirmed onside by VAR.

Pro Ref subsequently acknowledged the mistake. Maresca, speaking ahead of City's League Cup third-round match against Norwich City, praised his team's performance and the team's ability to play effectively despite being down to 10 players for much of the match. He acknowledged that mistakes like this can go either way. The manager also referenced a similar controversial decision in a 2-1 loss by Manchester United to City in January 2023, where Marcus Rashford scored despite being in an offside position, and the club has yet to receive an apology.

He noted that three years ago, when he was an assistant coach at City, the same situation occurred against Manchester United, and no apology was given. Maresca explained that the VAR officials often have limited time to make tough decisions, making mistakes inevitable.