The officials hogged the headlines in Sunday’s Manchester derby between United and City at Old Trafford. Phil Foden saw red, while the only goal of the game sparked major controversy.
Apologies followed, while arguments raged across the country after a feisty clash between Michael Carrick’s men and Enzo Maresca’s Premier League title contenders.
Here, Sports News Blitz writer and resident Red Devil Robert Bore looks back at the game and its biggest talking points.
Man City (h)
Nobody wants derby day this early in the season. It just does not feel right.
The result could have put Carrick under serious pressure. United had only four points from four games before kick-off.
A win, however, would have lifted United into fifth place. They would also have moved within one point of Hull.
A draw would have left United in the bottom half. It would also have brought plenty of disappointment.
United beat Man City 2-0 in January. That result started Carrick’s run towards Champions League qualification.
It sowed the seeds of love, as Tears For Fears once warbled.
But I had the fear again. I did not want there to be tears.
There would be both.
My mood did not improve when Diogo Dalot made his 250th United appearance. That was at least 249 games more than he should have played.
Shaw absence felt
Luke Shaw’s absence also hurt United.
His return had helped restart his bromance with Marcus Rashford. Shaw would now need to watch on while Patrick Dorgu faced the challenge on the left.
I have criticised United in these games before. They have often played too cautiously against City.
That was not the case here.
Inside three minutes, Dalot crunched into Elliot Anderson. Harry Maguire then put one on Rayan Cherki.
Lisandro Martinez also made sure Cherki knew he was there.
Nice. I liked it.
Man City settled well, though. United needed more possession.
Rashford found himself sandwiched by Anderson and Antoine Semenyo. Martinez then fired tamely at Gianluigi Donnarumma from the free-kick.
Dalot made a tremendous run into the box. However, he tried to control the ball instead of attacking it with a header.
The chance disappeared.
United looked sharper after that. Matheus Cunha then sent a weak effort wide.
Anderson flying in
Anderson stayed busy for City. He flew into tackles and cleaned up wherever he was needed.
His fellow midfielder Enzo Fernandez then conceded a foul on Cunha.
Bruno Fernandes nearly caused trouble with a sloppy pass. Erling Haaland immediately raced forward.
The United defence recovered and stopped him before he could create a clear chance.
However, danger always seems to follow Dalot.
He waited too long near his own byline. Semenyo then got through, but he could not find a teammate in the box.
Then came the drama.
Fernandes appeared to catch Foden with a kick. Foden reacted by kicking out and caught the United captain.
Referee Michael Oliver immediately showed Foden a red card.
Stockport’s favourite son then headed for the dressing room.
It was not a harsh red card. You simply cannot kick out at an opponent.
I would probably have made the same decision in Oliver’s position.
Bruno unpunished
Fernandes escaped punishment, surprisingly.
He had kicked into Foden, but the referee took no further action.
United now had a golden opportunity.
Dalot wasted a promising counter-attack. Kobbie Mainoo then blocked a fierce City effort from a corner.
After 30 minutes, the score remained 0-0.
Dalot continued to create problems.
This time, he put the ball back into danger with an awkward header. He then wandered offside and ruined another dangerous United attack.
His continued presence in the team baffles and frustrates me.
United also looked frustrated.
They slowed the game down after gaining the extra man. They should have stretched City instead.
Donnarumma had to stretch himself in added time.
Rashford curled a free-kick towards the top corner. The ball struck the face of the post.
The Italian goalkeeper had no chance.
However, his clean sheet remained intact.
Changes for Man City
Man City boss Enzo Maresca made a change at the break, Cherki hooked for Iliman Ndiaye. The question was whether United could make the man over count.
Mainoo tried, curling one beyond the despairing dive of Donnarumma but only onto a post, the rebound falling kindly for the keeper.
Rashford went next, seeing his shot deflected at the near post.
United were trying. Mbuemo and Cunha both flashed over with half chances and it felt like pressure was building, as you’d expect, as we approached the hour.
Calamity pain
And then it happened, the old Calamity button suddenly appeared from nowhere and started flashing red.
Dorgu lost possession cheaply and Semenyo’s cross was gobbled up at the far post by Haaland.
The flag went up immediately as Man City celebrated, then didn’t.
Then word went around that VAR were looking. It looked a clear offside. But it was somehow given. And nobody seemed to know why.
Enzo Fernandez was clearly offside while Haaland looked to be when the ball was played in despite the small deflection off Dorgu.
That looked pretty clear.
But VAR saw something? Something nobody else in the world had. Man City now in front.
I was baffled. Football was baffled.
Noel Gallagher was in the stands. Maybe his brother was at Stockley Park.
The on-field graphic, missing at the time, was put out 10 minutes later, to add to the intrigue. It showed Haaland was just onside but that wasn’t the only issue.
Fernandez was, to the letter of the law, clearly going for the ball. It should not have stood.
Red Devils rattled
That mattered not. Carrick turned to Benjamin Sesko for Youri Tielemans but United were rattled and so was Senne Lammens’ post as Fernandez almost doubled the lead, great fingers from the United keeper.
Bruno forced Donnarumma into a save as we hit the 70th minute mark and Mbuemo headed wide from a swirling Dalot centre. The clock was ticking.
Man City almost put it to bed, although maybe the flag would have saved them, after Fernandez had bought a free-kick and the cross was stroked wide on the stretch by Haaland.
Fernandez went over in the box, it was softer than a fluffy bunny rabbit, and was duly booked alongside Maguire, whose rump he claimed had dumped him for a spot kick. We were into the last 10 minutes.
The Argentinean departed soon after.
United needed momentum
United needed a spark, they had lost momentum.
Carrick turned to Joshua Zirkzee for Rashford. Maguire then headed wide and his side were heading to defeat one silly conceded free-kick at a time.
Five added minutes were shown, Maguire went mad. VAR took almost that on its own it felt.
Man City deserved it, the hosts had no idea. Wasteful on the ball, slow and ponderous in attack.
The difference between the two sides was very apparent.
All that being said, United should have nicked a point at the death.
Bruno played through the Man City defence to Mbuemo, who fired goalwards but Donnarumma saved brilliantly. The United man should have scored.
On the balance of chances maybe that would have been fair, for all Man City’s resilience.
Tears and fears
But the hosts had missed a golden opportunity for sure.
As for the Foden controversy, it’s a red. There’s no argument. It was a definite yellow for Fernandes’ kick in his back, which would also have been soft in my opinion.
But kicking out as he did, sorry pal, you’re off.
But the goal. Oh man alive. What a f**k-up from VAR.
For the forensic interrogation it had, that wouldn’t have looked amiss on an episode of CSI, and to get it so wrong is more embarrassing – it’s negligent.
Tears, fears and no idea!
