Maresca dismisses Haaland offside furore, calls focus on goal 'quite poor' after 10-man derby win

Enzo Maresca has called the intense scrutiny of Erling Haaland’s controversial Manchester derby winner “quite poor”, arguing that City’s ability to hold on for a 1-0 victory with 10 men deserved far more attention than the officiating error that followed.

Haaland’s goal — which settled the derby at the weekend — was later the subject of an admission from refereeing body Pro Ref, who acknowledged an “error of judgement” in allowing it to stand. Teammate Enzo Fernandez had been offside and was adjudged to have interfered with play as he lunged for the ball, yet the goal was not disallowed. The incident reignited fierce debate around VAR and the officials responsible.

Maresca, speaking on Wednesday ahead of City’s League Cup tie against Norwich, offered measured sympathy for the officials involved. “It’s not easy for the VAR and the people in front of the screen,” he said. “To make a decision in 10, 20 seconds is not easy for them. Sometimes they make mistakes. I make mistakes, players make mistakes. It’s part of our job.”

The City manager also drew a pointed comparison to a January 2023 Manchester derby at Old Trafford, when Bruno Fernandes scored an equaliser for United despite Marcus Rashford being in an offside position. City’s protests that Rashford had interfered with play were dismissed at the time. “Three years ago when I was here it happened the exact same against Manchester United,” Maresca said. “The goal was not a regular goal and no one apologised. We are still waiting for the apology for that. Sometimes it goes for you, sometimes against you. It’s football.”

For Maresca, the bigger talking point remained City’s resilience after Phil Foden was sent off in the early stages for kicking out at Bruno Fernandes — a dismissal that left the hosts to defend for the best part of 70 minutes. “To talk about one moment after that game when we played for 70, 75 minutes with 10 players is quite poor,” he said. “I think the performance was unbelievable and I’m pleased.”

Foden’s suspension is a significant setback, though Maresca acknowledged the midfielder’s culpability. “He knows that the reaction was probably not a good one but it is finished and we move on,” the City boss said. When asked whether the club planned to appeal the red card, Maresca admitted: “We didn’t speak about it, to be honest. I don’t know.”

Looking ahead to the Norwich cup tie, Maresca confirmed he would rotate his squad and that academy players Ryan McAidoo, Kaden Braithwaite and Floyd Samba were among those set to be involved. He also noted that the absence of VAR in the competition would not change City’s approach: “There is no VAR but we don’t plan the game in a different way.”