Maresca’s Old Trafford Grudge: Three Years Later, the Apology Is Still Missing

Football has a long memory — especially when Old Trafford is involved.

Manchester City manager Enzo Maresca has reminded everyone of a controversial Manchester derby from January 2023, when he was part of Pep Guardiola’s coaching staff. On that occasion, Bruno Fernandes scored for Manchester United while Marcus Rashford was in an offside position and involved in the build-up. City went on to lose the derby 2–1.

Fast-forward three years, and Maresca found himself at the centre of another Old Trafford controversy.

Manchester City defeated United 1–0 despite playing with ten men for most of the match after Phil Foden’s dismissal. Erling Haaland scored the decisive goal, but the decision to allow it stood at the centre of the post-match debate. Pro Ref later acknowledged an error of judgment involving Enzo Fernández’s offside position.

For Maresca, the situation offered a reminder of football’s uncomfortable reality: controversial decisions can happen to anyone.

He pointed back to the 2023 incident and noted that City were still waiting for an apology, while also acknowledging that referees and VAR officials can make mistakes under intense pressure.

That is perhaps the most interesting part of the story.

Football is not a perfectly controlled environment. Decisions are made in seconds, emotions run high, and even technology cannot completely remove human judgment from the game.

Sometimes the decision goes your way.

Sometimes it doesn’t.

The challenge is what happens next.

For Maresca and Manchester City, the answer was to focus on the performance rather than allow one controversial moment to define the entire afternoon. Playing for around 70–75 minutes with ten men and still leaving Old Trafford with a victory became another chapter in a fierce rivalry.

Three years after the original controversy, Maresca’s message remains simple:

Football can be unfair. Football can be unpredictable. But the game goes on.

Stay in the Game. 🔥

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