Key Takeaways
- Michael Carrick slammed the decision to award Manchester City’s winning goal at Old Trafford, saying, “I just don’t get it. I really don’t get it.”
- Carrick argued the ruling undermined goalkeeper Senne Lammens after City’s attacker “thrown yourself at the ball six yards from goal and pretty much nearly touched it” from an offside position.
- Following supporter protests before the derby, Carrick offered his support to the fanbase, stating, “They’re a huge part of this football club. They’re everything for this football club.”
Frustration over officiating decisions at Old Trafford
Manchester United head coach Michael Carrick could not hide his bewilderment after his side suffered a 0-1 defeat to Manchester City in the Premier League at Old Trafford. The match’s defining and most controversial moment came when Erling Haaland’s goal was allowed to stand following a VAR review, despite strong appeals that an offside player had interfered with play.
Speaking to reporters in his post-match press conference, Carrick questioned how the match officials and the video assistant referee reached the verdict. “Yeah, at the time I hadn’t totally seen it, but the explanation I got was, well, kind of, he wasn’t interfering with players. I just don’t get it. I really don’t get it,” Carrick said. “I can’t understand how we’re trying to help referees and putting so many layers behind them, and so many people, and so many bodies, and so many screens, and so many whatever officers they are, to try and come up with the right decisions.”
Carrick elaborated on why he felt the ruling was completely flawed, highlighting how the action directly compromised goalkeeper Senne Lammens. “And if that’s how the rules are interpreted, that you’re not interfering with a player because you’ve thrown yourself at the ball six yards from goal and pretty much nearly touched it, which then Lammens has to react from on top of that. The line was a bit dubious, where they drew the line to start with,” he explained, adding: “It’s worrying if that’s really it, if that’s how the game’s seen by those who are officiating it.”
Response to red card and missed opportunities
The decision was particularly damaging for United, who were playing against ten men following Phil Foden’s first-half dismissal. Despite the numerical advantage, Carrick felt his team had started to build momentum in the second period before the opening goal disrupted their rhythm.
“I thought we had a fair bit of the initiative, especially second half coming out. Second half before they scored, I thought we were better,” Carrick noted. “I thought we’d come out at half-time and build momentum, and hit the post, and the game was building the way we wanted it to at that point. And then the goal obviously has a big impact, and we could have finished the game better. We could have been a little bit more creative.”
When asked about the rule interpretation and whether the club would seek clarification from PGMOL, Carrick offered a sarcastic response regarding official apologies. “I don’t know how you can. I don’t know where you go with it. I don’t really know how you go and get another explanation on that one, I have to say,” he stated. When pressed on whether PGMOL might admit an error, he responded: “Yeah, it’d be great, that. Yeah, I can’t wait for that one.”
Carrick also referenced defender Lisandro Martinez’s post-match comments regarding pre-season referee meetings. “I think everyone, we all understand what that rule means. It’s pretty obvious, you know. It’s pretty obvious,” the head coach said. While acknowledging Martinez labelled the decision an injustice, Carrick conceded that the incident left a mark: “It is part of the game, and you’ve got to react and you’ve got to manage that. So there is part of that, but it did have a major impact, for sure.”
Sympathy for supporters and looking forward
Carrick also defended his team’s attacking output despite ten of their sixteen efforts coming from outside the penalty area, including late chances for Bruno Fernandes and Bryan Mbeumo. “I think when we look at it as an isolated game, yeah, of course, we would hope for more in general from the team, and we certainly wanted to score a goal, and we didn’t today,” he remarked, maintaining faith in his players’ creative ability.
Away from the pitch, Carrick addressed pre-match supporter protests outside Old Trafford regarding ticketing crackdowns and club governance. “They’re a huge part of this football club. They’re everything for this football club. So I’m feeling for them today, you know, on the back of losing the game today,” Carrick stated. “I never take them for granted. I think I speak about that quite a lot, and it means a lot to me, so I just feel for them today.”
With a midweek trip to Brighton
Manchester United performance and stats
Manchester United
Manchester United is currently 13th in the Premier League with 4 points.
In the last 4 games, it has won once, drew once, and lost twice. In its last match, Manchester United lost 0-1 against Manchester City.
It has a even goal difference after scoring 7 goals and conceding 7.
Manchester United will play the next match in Premier League against Fulham on Sunday 20th of September in London.
