Carrick Dismisses Referee Apology as 'Doesn't Mean an Awful Lot'

Michael Carrick, manager of Manchester United, has expressed that an apology from referees' officiating body for a significant VAR error in the Manchester derby, which involved Erling Haaland's goal, "doesn't mean an awful lot." Howard Webb, head of Pro Referees, acknowledged the mistake after Haaland's winning goal for Manchester City at Old Trafford was allowed to stand, despite teammate Enzo Fernandez being in an offside position and interfering with play. Webb attributed the error to "tunnel vision" and has temporarily removed the VAR officials involved, Matt Donohue and Blake Antrobus, until after the international break.

Carrick stated that while he believes in the VAR system, the recent apology does little to alter the situation. "I can appreciate it and I respect them for putting their hands up and saying 'we got that wrong'. It happens," Carrick said. He added that the team must "deal with what's thrown in front of us" and hope that "marginal decisions will even themselves out over the course of the season."

Carrick urged his players to move past the controversy and focus on improving their performance after a challenging start to the season, which has seen them lose half of their six games in all competitions. "That was a pretty big one to take and had a huge impact on that game, and that's why it was particularly tough," he commented. "It can have an impact in that moment of time – it can have a big impact – but we can't let it have an impact on the rest of the season. That's for us to get back to winning ways as soon as possible."

Maya, the mother of Michael Carrick, watches him on the pitch. Enzo Fernandez was allowed to interfere with play before the goal in a huge VAR blunder. Webb has blamed 'tunnel vision' for the mistake and temporarily stood down the VAR officials.