Carrick Gol: Red Devils manager criticises VAR over Haaland
Michael Carrick, coach of the Red Devils, expressed deep disappointment for the 1‑0 defeat against Manchester City in the derby, criticizing the VAR decision that validated Erling Haaland's decisive goal. His words, spoken on BBC Radio 5 Live, highlighted a problem of interpretation of the rules.
The contested goal of Haaland
Manchester United's manager analysed the match as conditioned by Haaland's goal, which came at a moment when his side seemed ready to reverse the match's momentum. “It was a two‑sided game. For most of the match we were in a good position… then they scored,” said Carrick, adding that “I don’t even know where to start to analyse that goal.”
The red card to Phil Foden, which left City with ten men, was another focal point for Carrick. “It changed some details of the game. Probably in the first half we didn’t adapt well enough to the situation,” he observed, admitting that the circumstance could have put the Red Devils in a better position.
Carrick's criticisms of VAR
The main reason for protest concerns Haaland's net, contested for a possible offside. “I am very concerned, because we have put many layers of protection around the referees: monitors, people, structures to make the correct decisions,” said Carrick, highlighting the “problem for me is the way the rules are interpreted.”
Lisandro Martínez, City defender, called the decision “an injustice”. “I think he was offside. I don’t understand the rules, he was right there in front of me, that’s why Haaland was free,” he explained, while Carrick reiterated: “I don’t understand, I don’t understand, I can’t see how we can help the referees.”
The manager then addressed the fans: “I feel for the fans today. We don’t have the points we wanted at this point; there’s no way to shy away from this.” He concluded by emphasizing the need to “move forward and get back to winning.”
Aware of having lost three points at home, Carrick urged the squad to reorganise, reminding that “today we didn’t find what we needed,” but that “we must find the path to success.”