Manchester City coach criticizes focus on controversial Haaland goal

Manchester City beat Manchester United 1-0 in the September 13 derby, and instead of celebrating a gritty win with ten men, coach Enzo Maresca spent his post-match press conference telling reporters they were asking the wrong questions. Erling Haaland’s 60th-minute strike, initially ruled out for offside before being awarded after a VAR review, has become the most dissected goal of the young Premier League season. Maresca’s position is simple: it was a good goal, move on. What actually happened on the pitch Phil Foden received a red card in the 23rd minute, leaving City to play more than 70 minutes a man down against their crosstown rivals. Haaland’s goal in the 60th minute was initially chalked off for offside. The linesman’s flag went up, the United fans exhaled, and the moment appeared dead. But VAR intervened, reviewing the play and determining that United defender Patrick Dorgu had played Haaland onside. The issue centered on City midfielder Enzo Fernandez, who was standing in an offside position during the buildup. The question was whether Fernandez interfered with play, which would have invalidated the goal regardless of Haaland’s positioning. VAR concluded he did not. The P...