Carrick Demands Man United Move Past Costly Refereeing Errors

Moving past the VAR drama

Manchester United manager Michael Carrick wants his team to move on from the VAR mistake that cost them in the Manchester derby. The boss warned his players that the controversial moment cannot be allowed to ruin their season.

Chief refereeing officer Howard Webb admitted he was disappointed that Erling Haaland's goal stood in Manchester City's 1-0 win. Enzo Fernandez was in an offside position when he tried to play the ball. The mistake hurt United even more because City played with ten men after Phil Foden was sent off in the 23rd minute.

Carrick appreciated the refereeing body admitting the mistake but said the apology does not mean much now. He wants his squad to focus on getting back to winning ways.

Recent struggles at Old Trafford

It has been a difficult week for United. Following the derby loss, they blew a 2-0 lead to lose 3-2 at home against Brighton on Wednesday. That defeat knocked them out of the Carabao Cup in the first round.

It was the first time United have lost a home game after leading 2-0 in 50 years. It also gave Carrick his first back to back home defeats since he took over as manager in January.

Critics have questioned if the team lacks a killer instinct. Along with the Brighton collapse, United also threw away leads twice in a 2-2 draw at Everton earlier this month. Against City, they failed to score despite Kobbie Mainoo and Marcus Rashford hitting the post, while Gianluigi Donnarumma made a save in stoppage time to deny Bryan Mbeumo.

Carrick remains calm

Despite the pressure, Carrick is not panicking. He insisted that the recent bad results do not mean there is a massive issue with his squad.

The manager explained that it is easy for people to assume there is a long-term problem just because of a few bad results. He believes his team just needs to learn how to handle these moments and put things right on the pitch. Their next chance to do that comes this Sunday with a trip to Fulham.

What it means for the next game

Fulham vs Manchester United (Premier League, Sun, 20 Sep): Fulham win 30%, draw 25%, Manchester United win 45%; expected goals 1.35 to 1.68. Our safest pick: Under 3.5 goals.