Carrick Blasts VAR Over Haaland Winner Over Enzo Fernández’ Involvement

The United manager was particularly unhappy with the decision to allow Haaland’s goal to stand, with the build-up involving Enzo Fernández becoming the centre of the controversy.

Haaland eventually found the breakthrough after City had been reduced to 10 men, leaving United to rue their failure to take advantage of the numerical advantage.

However, Carrick’s attention after the final whistle was firmly focused on the officiating and the role Fernández played in the attacking move.

Enzo Fernández appeared to be in an offside position and attempted to play the ball before Haaland finished. VAR overturned the initial offside decision, ruling that Fernández had not interfered with play.

The United boss questioned the interpretation of interference, arguing that Fernández’s involvement should have been considered when assessing whether the goal was legitimate.

Carrick made his frustration clear when discussing the VAR review, insisting that he struggled to understand why the goal was not ruled out.

The decision became even more difficult for United Boss  to accept because the match had already swung dramatically in their favour following City’s red card.

United had an opportunity to control the contest and punish their rivals, but City remained dangerous despite being a man down.

Instead, Haaland delivered the decisive moment, turning a controversial sequence into the winning goal and leaving United empty-handed.

For Carrick, the incident represented a major frustration, particularly because United had worked hard to stay in the game and had been presented with a significant advantage after the dismissal of Phil Foden.

Nevertheless, the manager will also recognise that United had opportunities to produce a different result. Their inability to make the extra man count ultimately left them vulnerable to one decisive City attack.

The defeat will therefore raise questions beyond the controversial goal, but Carrick’s anger underlines how significant the Fernández involvement was in his view.

With the derby now over, United must regroup quickly, while Carrick will hope the disappointment can fuel a stronger response in their next fixture.