Carrick dismisses Pro Refs apology after VAR error gifts Haaland's derby winner

Michael Carrick offered a withering response when told Pro Refs would apologise for the VAR error that allowed Erling Haaland’s goal to stand in Manchester City’s victory over Manchester United in the 199th Manchester derby at Old Trafford. “Yeah, that’d be great. I can’t wait for that one,” the 45-year-old said at his post-match press conference, his expression making clear the sentiment behind the words.

The apology arrived quickly. While Carrick was still facing the media, Pro Refs were already preparing their mea culpa — but the damage was already done. Carrick had described the mistake as “obvious”, and the rulebook offered the refereeing body little cover.

The sequence of events made the error all the more difficult to accept. The linesman had correctly flagged Haaland’s goal offside, and the on-pitch decision should have ended the matter. Instead, VAR official Matt Donohue instructed referee Michael Oliver to overturn the call without sending him to the pitchside monitor. On a subjective decision — whether Enzo Fernandez was interfering with play — the correct protocol was for Oliver to review the footage himself.

United believe that had Oliver gone to the screen, he would have upheld the original decision. Fernandez’s attempted header forced goalkeeper Senne Lammens into a dive, leaving him unable to recover in time to stop Haaland’s shot. That two VAR officials in the Stockley Park booth failed to identify that influence on the goalkeeper is, by any measure, a serious lapse.

The goal visibly unsettled United. They had started the second half with purpose, but lost their momentum almost immediately after the strike and never fully recovered. City, for their part, had gone 30 minutes without a shot before Haaland scored — though United had created little of genuine quality themselves.

For Carrick, the practical consequences are stark. Four points from four Premier League games is a poor return, and an apology from a refereeing body does nothing to change the table. The error was precisely the kind VAR was introduced to eliminate, which makes it harder still for United’s manager to move on.