Manchester City manager Enzo Maresca has lambasted the reaction to Erling Haaland's contentious derby winner, declaring the overwhelming attention on the VAR row "quite poor."
The Italian, speaking ahead of Thursday's Carabao Cup third-round fixture against Norwich at the Etihad, insisted his players deserved far greater praise for their display at Old Trafford.
City claimed a 1-0 victory on Sunday despite being reduced to ten men early on following Phil Foden's dismissal for kicking out at Bruno Fernandes.
"Talking about one episode or one moment after that game when we played for 70-75 minutes with 10 players, I think it's quite poor," Maresca said. "I think the performance was unbelievable, and I'm pleased with the performance."
The result extended City's winning run in the league to four matches.
Haaland's strike on the hour mark was initially flagged offside by the assistant referee. However, the VAR intervened and overturned the decision after determining the Norwegian was in a legitimate position.
What the officials failed to spot was that Enzo Fernandez had dived at the ball from an offside position, interfering with play despite not making contact.
Referees' chief Howard Webb admitted his frustration with the outcome. "The VAR gets super-focused on Haaland. He establishes he's onside, he thinks that's a good goal," Webb told Sky Sports. "He doesn't truly evaluate the full impact of Fernandez's position."
Webb described it as "tunnel vision" and confirmed the match officials involved would be stood down until after the international break. Pro Ref acknowledged the error and issued an apology to United.
Maresca was keen to highlight what he views as a double standard, recalling a near-identical incident from January 2023 when he served as Pep Guardiola's assistant.
In that match, Marcus Rashford appeared to interfere with play from an offside position before leaving the ball for Bruno Fernandes to score an equaliser in United's 2-1 victory. Rashford then went on to bag the winner minutes later.
"Three years ago when I was here it happened exactly the same against Man United. We lost the derby there," Maresca said. "The goal was not a regular goal. To be honest, no-one apologised. We are still waiting for an apology for that goal."
He added: "Sometimes it goes for you, sometimes against you. It's football."
Maresca also confirmed that City would not be challenging Foden's dismissal. The England international was shown a straight red card in the 23rd minute for lashing out at Fernandes.
Ahead of their Carabao Cup defence against Championship opposition Norwich on Thursday evening, the City boss indicated he would make significant changes to his starting lineup.
Several academy players are set to be handed opportunities, with Sunday's Premier League encounter against Sunderland at the Etihad already on the horizon.
The manager also expressed sympathy for the officials at the centre of the storm.
"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."
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