Erling Haaland
As early as the 23rd minute, an incident occurred that seriously affected the course of the match. Bruno Fernandes fouled Phil Foden near the touchline. A scuffle then broke out between the players.
Foden responded by kicking his opponent in the stomach. Referee Michael Oliver showed the Manchester City player a straight red card.
However, Fernandes’ actions did not receive a similar punishment. VAR did not recommend that Oliver review the incident. This decision caused discontent amongst the Manchester City delegation.
The second controversial moment occurred in the second half. In the 60th minute, Erling Haaland scored the only goal of the match following a pass from Josko Gvardiol.
City’s Enzo Fernandes, who was in an offside position, was in front of Manchester United defender Lisandro Martínez. The player attempted to head the ball. However, VAR ruled that he had not touched the ball and had not influenced the play. Consequently, the goal was allowed to stand.
Later, the refereeing organisation Pro Ref acknowledged that the decision was incorrect. In its view, VAR should have directed Michael Oliver to the monitor so that he could independently assess Fernández’s influence on the incident.
In the end, Haaland’s goal stood, and Manchester City took three points away from Old Trafford.
That said, the refereeing error became one of the main talking points following the 199th Manchester derby, which marked the start of a new era for both teams – with new managers, revamped squads and their usual ambitions.
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