Michael Carrick dismisses Pro Ref apology after Man Utd derby controversy

Michael Carrick had little interest in an apology from Pro Refs after Manchester United were left furious by the controversial decision that decided their derby defeat to Manchester City.

Erling Haaland scored the only goal at Old Trafford, but United believe the strike should have been disallowed because Enzo Fernandez interfered with play from an offside position.

Pro Refs subsequently acknowledged the mistake, but for Carrick the damage had already been done.

Asked after the match whether he expected an apology from the refereeing body, Carrick responded sarcastically.

“Yeah, that’d be great. I can’t wait for that one,” the Manchester United manager said.

Pro Refs did contact United afterwards, but an apology offered little consolation after a decision that potentially cost Carrick’s side valuable Premier League points.

The controversy is particularly frustrating because the original on-field decision was to disallow Haaland’s goal.

The assistant referee raised his flag, only for VAR Matt Donohue to intervene and advise referee Michael Oliver to award the goal.

The key issue surrounded Fernandez and whether he interfered with play from an offside position.

The midfielder attempted to head the ball before it reached Haaland, forcing goalkeeper Senne Lammens to react and dive. United believe that movement clearly affected the goalkeeper’s ability to recover before Haaland scored.

As a subjective offside decision, United also believe Oliver should have been sent to the pitchside monitor to review the incident himself.

Carrick described the mistake as “obvious”, while United remain convinced the goal would have stayed disallowed had Oliver reviewed the footage.

The controversy does not completely disguise Manchester United’s difficult start.

Carrick’s side have collected only four points from their opening four Premier League matches, increasing the importance of their upcoming trip to Fulham.

United had started the second half positively against City but were not creating enough clear opportunities even before Haaland struck.

The controversial goal nevertheless changed the momentum of the derby and ultimately left Carrick facing another damaging defeat.

An apology cannot change the result, meaning the United manager now needs a response on the pitch.

Manchester United must quickly move beyond the VAR controversy, with Carrick facing an important Premier League trip to Fulham. Another poor result would increase the pressure after United’s disappointing opening four matches.