Key Takeaways
- Manchester City manager Enzo Maresca expressed sympathy for VAR officials after his team benefited from a controversial offside goal.
- The error occurred during City's 1-0 win against Manchester United at Old Trafford.
- Maresca said VAR should have recommended an on-field review, acknowledging the decision was a mistake.
Manchester City manager Enzo Maresca has defended the video assistant referee (VAR) officials after his team benefited from a clear error in their 1-0 win against Manchester United at Old Trafford on Sunday.
Erling Haaland scored the winning goal in the 60th minute, initially flagged offside but later ruled onside by VAR, despite Enzo Fernandez being offside and interfering with play.
Maresca, who replaced Pep Guardiola as manager in June, acknowledged the difficulty in making split-second decisions and said, 'Sometimes they go for you, the decisions, sometimes they go against you.'
The Italian manager was critical of the intense focus on the offside goal, especially after his team was reduced to 10 men when Phil Foden was sent off in the first half.
Maresca recalled a similar controversial incident from his time as Guardiola's assistant in the 2022/23 season, where Manchester United's Bruno Fernandes scored despite Marcus Rashford being in an offside position.
He expressed disappointment that no apology was given for that goal, stating, '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. To be honest, no one apologised. We are still waiting for the apology for that goal.'
Despite the controversy, Maresca was pleased with his team's performance, saying, 'I’m pleased with the unbelievable performance from the players on Sunday.'
He added, 'Talking about 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.'
Maresca also addressed the upcoming League Cup match against Championship side Norwich, stating, 'I’m pleased with the unbelievable performance from the players on Sunday. Talking about one moment after that game, when we played for 70-75 minutes with 10 players, I think it’s quite poor.'
Sometimes they go for you, the decisions, sometimes they go against you.
Enzo Maresca, Manchester City manager
Sometimes they make some mistakes. I make mistakes, players make mistakes, I think it’s part of our job.
Enzo Maresca, Manchester City manager
I’m pleased with the unbelievable performance from the players on Sunday.
Enzo Maresca, Manchester City manager
