Manchester United lost 1-0 on Sunday to Manchester City.
Despite playing at Old Trafford with a man advantage for the final 75 minutes of play, Manchester United with almost non-existent goal threat as Donnarumma barely had to make a save all game.
At the other end of the pitch, an Erling Haaland goal on the hour mark won all three points.
It could though have been far worse for Manchester United as Manchester City were the better team when a man down and unlucky not to add more goals, especially after taking the lead.
Michael Carrick must be so grateful that after their derby defeat to ten men, the media are obsessing about the goal that Manchester City scored and not about how woeful Manchester United were.
When the Haaland goal went in, the assistant referee raised his flag and Michael Oliver disallowed the goal for offside. However, VAR then intervened and after a lengthy delay they told the Geordie referee that the goal should be given as there wasn’t an offside angle to disallow it.
At the time it all looked very confusing and you wondered how it was given but with the rules so complicated now, especially with offside, you just assumed that the VAR team ‘experts’ had called it correctly.
I was in the pub and so didn’t hear what the other ‘experts’ working for Sky Sports were saying and so only had the pictures on the screen to go by. I said to my mates at the time that the only thing which would make this even more hilarious beyond Manchester United looking so rubbish and losing to ten men, was if it turned out the goal shouldn’t have been allowed…
Now the Premier League refereeing body Pro Ref (used to be called PGMOL) has admitted an “error of judgement” when Erling Haaland’s Manchester City winner against Manchester United was awarded.
At the time, Haaland was ruled to have been played onside by Patrick Dorgu’s boot but there was debate as to whether an offside Enzo Fernandez, diving at the ball in a more central position than Erling Haaland, was interfering with play.
Pro Ref have now released an official statement: “It was established that Enzo Fernandez did not play the ball and therefore that makes any offside offence subjective. However, on this occasion, the VAR did not recognise the likely impact of his position and should have recommended an on-field review. Contact has been made with Manchester United this evening to acknowledge what we deem is an error of judgement. A review of the incident will take place.”
As I said, absolutely hilarious. Another huge bonus is that Mikel Arteta and Arsenal fans will also be absolutely fuming, as clearly Manchester City are the only threat to them retaining the title.
Manchester United fans had booed their team off at the final whistle after this woeful performance against ten men Manchester City.
However, Michael Carrick and Manchester United can hardly feel they got the worst of the decisions from match officials, as it was an appalling decision by Michael Oliver when sending Phil Foden off after 23 minutes.
Bruno Fernandes kicked and fouled Foden, then when the Man City player fell to the ground the Man U captain kicked his opponent again when he was down. The Man City player then made the faintest of contact with his boots to the Man U cheat’s stomach and as usual the embarrassing Portuguese international tried to con the referee by trying to make out he had been seriously injured, with sadly Michael Oliver falling for it. With the changes in VAR meaning they are told now to try and back the referee’s initial decision as much as possible, it was never going to be overturned despite the faintest of contacts.
Ironically, the red card changed the game in Manchester City’s favour. It had been a poor game up to that point with neither side looking great but following the Foden sending off it was Man City that sparked into life and outclassed Man U despite having a man less. The home side barely threatened for the rest of the match but the visitors increasingly looked likely to score on the break.
Man U looked more and more clueless as the match progressed and Man City looking far more likely to get the next goal, only a brilliant save from Lammens when he tipped a shot from Fernandez onto the post kept them in the match.
Manchester United look to have big problems and Michael Carrick under serious pressure, losing to Hull, only drawing with Everton and now losing at home to Man City despite a man advantage, their only win so far was a luck home one against Ipswich after trailing to the promoted side.
The Geordie manager will be grateful this Monday morning that the goal debate is dominating the headlines and the debate, rather than how woeful his tactics and his team were.