Man Utd jolted as 'Maresca' delivers two cutting lines on the controversy surrounding Man City's winning goal in the latest match.
On 16 Sep 2026 GMT+7, Enzo Maresca, manager of Manchester City, gave a sharp remark about their city rivals Manchester United during a press conference ahead of the 2026-27 Carabao Cup third round game at home against Norwich City on Thursday, 17 Sep 2026 GMT+7.
Man City had just secured a dramatic winning goal in the Premier League Manchester derby, coming from behind to beat Man Utd 1-0 at Old Trafford despite being down to 10 men after Phil Foden was sent off in the 23rd minute.
Erling Haaland's winning goal in the 60th minute was confirmed after a VAR review to be onside, but afterwards, the officiating body admitted it was a wrong decision because they overlooked Enzo Fernandez's offside position as he attempted a header to score.
Maresca responded to the media on this issue, saying, "Focusing only on that single incident after we played 70-75 minutes with 10 men is unreasonable. I think our performance in that match was incredible, and I'm very satisfied with the team's effort."
"We know a mistake was made, and that’s all. Sometimes situations go our way, sometimes they don't. That’s football."
Maresca, who took over from Pep Guardiola last summer, also highlighted a past VAR decision when Man City conceded a goal in a 1-2 loss to Man Utd in January 2023.
That goal was Man Utd’s equalizer, when Marcus Rashford, in an offside position, ran to receive the ball, hesitated briefly, then allowed Bruno Fernandes to come in and score.
Initially, assistant referee Darren Cann raised the offside flag, but after a VAR check, referee Stuart Attwell awarded the goal, sparking controversy and comparisons to Erling Haaland’s winning goal in the recent match.
The Man City manager reflected on the incident, saying, "Three years ago, when I was here as Pep Guardiola’s assistant, a similar situation happened in a game against United."
"That goal was not legitimate according to the rules, but no one apologized. Even now, we are still waiting for an apology regarding that incident."
