Manchester City manager Enzo Maresca told BBC Sport it was “quite poor” that the VAR controversy around Erling Haaland’s winner at Manchester United has dominated the discussion after Sunday’s derby. He said the focus should remain on City’s performance, not one incident.
City won 1-0 at Old Trafford despite playing most of the match with 10 men after Phil Foden’s red card. The goal later became the centre of scrutiny after referees’ body Pro Ref ruled the VAR decision was wrong, with chief Howard Webb saying officials had failed to assess Enzo Fernandez’s position fully.
Maresca, who spoke before Thursday’s Carabao Cup third-round tie against Norwich City, also said mistakes are part of football and referenced previous decisions that went against City. His comments add a public defence of the result, even as the officiating review continues to shape the aftermath.
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Manchester City manager Enzo Maresca says it is 'quite poor' to focus on VAR controversy despite win at Manchester United
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BBC Sport reported Maresca’s comments before Manchester City’s Carabao Cup tie with Norwich City. The piece also quotes Howard Webb on the refereeing body’s review of the incident.
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Latest update: Maresca has criticised the attention on the VAR controversy after City’s win at Old Trafford.