Haaland scored in the 60th minute, not the 78th. Joško Gvardiol’s cross reached him at the back post, and he finished after the on-field assistant had initially raised the offside flag. VAR confirmed that Haaland was onside because Patrick Dorgu played him on, but the review failed to account properly for Enzo Fernández’s offside position and attempted involvement in the play.

Pro Ref subsequently acknowledged an “error of judgment,” saying the VAR should have recommended an on-field review because it had not recognised the likely impact of Fernández’s position. That admission means the goal was not simply a routine, correctly resolved VAR decision, despite the result officially standing.

Maresca nevertheless argued that the focus on one incident was unfair to City’s performance:

“To talk about one moment after that game when we played for 70, 75 minutes with 10 players is quite poor. I think the performance was unbelievable and I’m pleased.”

He also defended the officials’ working conditions, saying that making a decision in “10, 20 seconds” is difficult and that referees, coaches and players all make mistakes. That was a measured defence of VAR staff, although City had benefited directly from the error.

Maresca then recalled the January 2023 derby, when Manchester United’s Bruno Fernandes equalised despite Marcus Rashford being in an offside position during the build-up. City were unhappy that Rashford’s involvement was not judged to constitute interference, and Maresca said:

“The goal was not a regular goal and no one apologised. We are still waiting for the apology for that.”

The original report also incorrectly says Maresca “guided the club as an assistant during the incident.” He was City’s head coach during the 2026 derby; he referred back to the 2023 decision from the period when he worked as Pep Guardiola’s assistant.

The balanced assessment is that both things are true: City showed considerable resilience after Foden’s red card, but the winning goal was allowed after a VAR error that the refereeing authorities later acknowledged. Maresca wants the former to remain central to the story, while United understandably view the latter as decisive.