Erling Haaland’s 60th-minute winner at Old Trafford on Sunday gave Manchester City a 1-0 derby victory, a fourth win from four and a perfect start to Enzo Maresca’s first season as Pep Guardiola’s successor. Three days on, the manager is still being asked about the offside flag that preceded it — and he has run out of patience.
“To talk about one moment after that game when we played for 70, 75 minutes with 10 players is quite poor,” Maresca said. “I think the performance was unbelievable and I’m pleased.”
City had been reduced to 10 men in the 23rd minute when Phil Foden was sent off for kicking out at Bruno Fernandes while on the ground. They spent the remaining hour defending a one-goal lead they did not yet have, then defending one they did — Gianluigi Donnarumma denying Bryan Mbeumo in stoppage time after Marcus Rashford and Kobbie Mainoo had both struck the woodwork.
The goal Pro Ref could not defend
Haaland’s finish, from Josko Gvardiol’s deflected cross at the back post, was initially ruled out for offside before a lengthy VAR review overturned the decision. The Norwegian was judged onside when the ball was played. The complication was Enzo Fernandez, who had moved towards the delivery from an offside position; VAR concluded he had not interfered with play.
Pro Ref, the refereeing body formerly known as PGMOL, has since acknowledged an error of judgement and accepted the goal should have been disallowed. Maresca’s response was not to dispute the admission so much as to dispute that it deserved the week it has been given.
“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.”
He also reached for history, and a grievance of his own. “Three years ago when I was here it happened the exact same against Manchester United,” Maresca said. “No one apologised.” He was on Guardiola’s staff at the time — a detail that gives the remark its edge, because he is not describing something he read about.
On Foden, there was no defence offered. “He knows that the reaction was probably not a good one but it is finished and we move on.” Maresca did argue that Fernandes, whom he believes instigated the flashpoint, might reasonably have followed Foden down the tunnel.
What the result actually says about City
The subplot risks burying a genuinely notable data point: City have 12 points from 12, having beaten Bournemouth 2-1 from behind, Crystal Palace 4-1, Coventry City 1-0 and now United by the same scoreline. They sit second only on goal difference, with Arsenal matching them stride for stride.
That start was not the expectation. Maresca inherited a squad mid-rebuild: Rodri sold to Barcelona, Bernardo Silva, Nico Gonzalez and Tijjani Reijnders all gone, and a deadline-day scramble that ended with Enzo Fernandez arriving from Chelsea for £125m, equalling the British record. Maresca had coached him at Stamford Bridge and pushed the deal through. Four games later, City have conceded three goals and won a derby with 10 men for 70 minutes.
Haaland, meanwhile, has four goals in four — two against Palace, one against Coventry, one at Old Trafford. Asked about managing his workload, Maresca has been blunt about the priority: keep the striker fit and the rest tends to follow.
Where this leaves both Manchesters
For Michael Carrick, the arithmetic is harsher than the performance was. United have four points from four — one win, one draw, two defeats — and sit 13th having lost at home to a side playing a man short for two-thirds of the match. Carrick has pointed to character rather than luck: “The players have got an edge. When we have had setbacks they have bounced back particularly well.” He will need it. Sections of the Old Trafford crowd spent the derby protesting against the club’s ownership, and grievance over a VAR decision offers only temporary cover.
For City, the risk Maresca is guarding against is subtler. A first derby win, secured against the odds and under duress, is the kind of result that defines a new manager’s authority inside a dressing room. He would rather that be the story than a frame-by-frame argument about where Enzo Fernandez was standing — and on the evidence of four straight wins, he has a case.
—
Sources: [LiveScore/Independent](https://www.livescore.com/en/news/football/more/enzo-maresca-laments-focus-on-erling-haalands-controversial-manchester-derby-goal-as-quite-poor-the-independent/) · [beIN Sports](https://www.beinsports.com/en-us/soccer/premier-league/articles/maresca-claims-man-citys-winner-was-clearly-onside-but-pro-ref-admit-error-2026-09-13) · [Goal.com](https://www.goal.com/en-us/lists/enzo-maresca-defends-erling-haaland-goal-questions-bruno-fernandes-man-city-beat-united/blt096865f831ed6b8f) · [Sky Sports (Fernández transfer)](https://www.skysports.com/football/news/11679/13579972/enzo-fernandez-transfer-news-man-city-sign-midfielder-from-chelsea-in-british-record-equalling-lb125m-deal) · [ESPN](https://www.espn.com/soccer/story/_/id/49794375/man-city-agree-record-equalling-125m-deal-chelsea-enzo-fernandez-sources)
**~740 words.** I verified the story before writing — Maresca succeeded Guardiola at City this summer, and the “quite poor” quote, the Foden red card, the Pro Ref admission and Haaland’s VAR-overturned winner all check out against multiple reports.
Sports journalist and editor at SportsPortal.net. Covers cricket, football, Formula 1, tennis, and basketball with a focus on how global sports connect with Pakistani audiences. Follows the PSL, Pakistan national cricket team, Premier League, and major international tournaments. Has reported on sports for digital audiences since 2021.
824 articles published
