'Their apology doesn't mean an awful lot' - Michael Carrick reacts to Pro Ref statement after VAR blunder costs Man Utd in derby defeat against Man City

Man City secured a 1-0 victory at Old Trafford, but the decisive moment was shrouded in controversy. Haaland netted the only goal of the game, though City record-signig Fernandez was clearly stationed in an offside position while interfering with play. The video assistant referee team failed to intervene, allowing the strike to stand.

Refereeing body Pro Ref formally apologised to Manchester United within three hours of the final whistle. The officials responsible for the glaring oversight, VAR Matt Donohue and his assistant Blake Antrobus, have subsequently been stood down from duty for the subsequent weekend's fixtures.

Refereeing chief Howard Webb reached out to United in a bid for accountability, admitting on 'Match Officials Mic'd Up' that he was deeply disappointed with the outcome. Webb explained that the officials were entirely fixated on Haaland's potential offside and completely missed Fernandez's infringement.

Despite the swift acknowledgement of the blunder, Carrick was largely unmoved. "The apology doesn't mean an awful lot," the United boss stated. "I can appreciate and respect them putting their hands up and saying we got that wrong - it does happen. We just have to deal with it."

He added that while decisions might balance out over time, this particular mistake stung. "Maybe we get one or two decisions on the law of averages or whatever but that one had a huge impact on the game and that's why it was particularly tough," Carrick explained.

Despite his intense frustration, Carrick refused to completely condemn the technology. "One-off things can happen," he noted. "At the time it was a pretty big one, we know that. I don't think I need to go over that. But yes, I've got faith in it (VAR). It's the system we work towards and that we use."

The derby defeat compounded a miserable month for the Red Devils, who have struggled to close out matches. United recently surrendered a two-goal advantage to lose at home to Brighton - their first such collapse in half a century. That disaster followed a frustrating 2-2 draw with Everton where they were pegged back on two separate occasions.

When questioned about his squad's lack of a clinical edge during this difficult spell, the manager remained defensive of his players. "I think it's quite instant really in terms of the last week or so, with certain things that have been thrown up in games, but it doesn't all of a sudden mean there's a big, huge problem, and that's obviously the balance for me to judge," Carrick said. "It's very easy, just because it's happened recently, to all of a sudden think that's something that's been coming for a long time, and that's part of us understanding as a team moving forward what can happen in football in certain games, and what we need to put right moving forward."

United must quickly shake off their recent frustrations as they prepare to visit Fulham in the Premier League on Sunday. Carrick has emphasised the importance of resetting mentally, demanding his squad respond appropriately to their recent slump in form and officiating setbacks.

"It can have an impact in the moment of time, it can have a big impact," the coach said regarding the costly VAR error. "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."

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