Carrick tells Manchester United to put derby refereeing error behind them

Michael Carrick has challenged Manchester United to respond on the pitch and ensure the refereeing controversy that accompanied their defeat by Manchester City does not shape the rest of their season.

United were beaten 1-0 at Old Trafford after Erling Haaland’s winning goal was allowed to stand, despite Enzo Fernandez being in an offside position and attempting to play the ball. City had been reduced to 10 men in the 23rd minute when Phil Foden was shown a red card.

Howard Webb, Pro Ref’s chief refereeing officer, later said he was “really disappointed” by the decision, while the refereeing body apologised to United.

Carrick acknowledged the significance of the mistake but insisted his players could not allow it to affect their performances beyond the immediate aftermath.

“It can have an impact in the moment of time; it can have a big impact,” he said. “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.”

The United manager also maintained his confidence in the video assistant referee system, despite the incident having a major influence on the derby result.

“One-off things can happen,” Carrick said. “At the time it was a pretty big one, we know that. But yes, I’ve got faith in it.”

He added that the apology had not done much to reduce his frustration, although he respected the officials for accepting responsibility.

“The apology doesn’t mean an awful lot,” Carrick said. “I can appreciate, and I respect it for them putting their hands up and saying ‘we got that wrong’. I think it happens; it does happen.”

United’s problems continued later in the week as they let a 2-0 lead slip against Brighton at Old Trafford. They eventually lost 3-2 and were eliminated from the Carabao Cup.

The result gave United consecutive home defeats for the first time since Carrick became manager in January. However, he rejected the suggestion that those losses showed the club were facing a wider crisis.

“It doesn’t suddenly mean there is a big and huge problem, and that is the balance I have to assess,” he said.

United travel to Fulham on Sunday, with Carrick urging his team to show their response through their football rather than continue focusing on the derby decision.

The match will give United an opportunity to recover from a difficult period that has included the disputed defeat by Manchester City, the collapse against Brighton and their Carabao Cup exit. Carrick wants the players to concentrate on returning to winning ways as quickly as possible.