Reaction to VAR decision in Manchester United vs Man City proves just how bad it was – Manchester Evening News
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Manchester City striker Erling Haaland scored a controversial winner against Man United to seal the bragging rights in the derby
Erling Haaland scored a controversial winner for Manchester City as they beat Manchester United in the derby(Image: Marc Atkins/Getty Images)
All you need to know about Manchester United fans’ VAR verdict after Manchester City controversy:
The Manchester derby ended in controversy on Sunday as City took the bragging rights at Old Trafford.
With City a man down, Erling Haaland scored just after the hour mark to give Enzo Maresca’s side a lead to defend.
However, the assistant referee initially raised his flag for offside. This was checked by VAR officials Matt Donohue and Blake Antrobus.
First, the Stockley Park duo checked to see if Haaland was in an offside position, which they deemed him not to be. Attention then turned to Enzo Fernandez in the centre.
Fernandez was in an offside position but VAR decided that because he did not touch the ball, he had not interfered with play and therefore the goal should stand.
Following the game, MEN Sport asked our United readers: ‘Did VAR make a mistake in allowing Erling Haaland’s goal vs United?’
At the time of writing, 1,896 responses have been received with a whopping 85 per cent voting ‘Yes’. A mere 13 per cent voted ‘No’, while just two per cent were ‘Unsure’.
On Sunday evening, Pro Ref released a statement acknowledging their error. They said: “The on-field decision was offside against Erling Haaland – that was checked by VAR and he was found to be in an onside position. In the same attack, it was established that Enzo Fernandez did not play the ball and therefore that makes any offside offence subjective, however, on this occasion, the VAR did not recognise the likely impact of his position and should have recommended an on-field review. Contact has been made with Manchester United this evening to acknowledge what we deem is an error of judgement. A review of the incident will take place.” Read the full story, here.
Former India cricketer Madan Lal reacted after the Indian women’s cricket team did not accept the Asia Cup trophy from Asian Cricket Council (ACC) chairman Mohsin Naqvi after winning the title on Sunday.Harmanpreet Kaur-led India defeated Sri Lanka by 72 runs to win a record-extending eighth Women’s Asia Cup title. However, the Indian players did not come out for the post-match presentation ceremony.
Madan Lal reacts to Asia Cup trophy controversy
Madan, a member of India’s 1983 World Cup-winning team, questioned the decision and said India should avoid playing Pakistan if such situations continue.“Once again same old story. If we are going to behave like this then we should not play Pakistan any trophies. I know its Board decision,” Madan said.The Asia Cup trophy controversy has continued for the second year in a row.
India women skip trophy presentation
The Indian women’s team did not return to the field for the trophy presentation after their title win.India’s decision came a year after the men’s team also refused to receive the Asia Cup trophy and medals from Naqvi.Naqvi is the ACC chairman and also heads the Pakistan Cricket Board. He is also the Interior Minister of Pakistan.
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India still without men’s Asia Cup trophy
The Indian men’s team had won the Asia Cup last year but did not accept the trophy from Naqvi.India are yet to receive the trophy, which has since been kept at the ACC office.The Suryakumar Yadav-led Indian team instead celebrated on the presentation dais without the physical trophy.
Sri Lanka accept runners-up awards
Unlike the Indian team, the Sri Lankan players accepted their runners-up cheque from Naqvi. Before that, all the Sri Lankan players and support staff received medals from Sri Lanka Cricket interim chief Eran Wikramaratne.Naqvi left the stadium immediately after presenting the award to Sri Lankan captain Chamari Athapaththu.
The start of the 2026 season is here, and like we do every year, we’re going to be grading every game that’s played between now and January.
The first week of the season always seems to get a little crazy, and this year was no exception. In the early games on Sunday, we saw the Saints claw back from a 21-0 deficit to force overtime against the Lions, only to lose on a two-point conversion attempt. We also saw the Bears and Panthers make NFL history by combining for 96 points, the highest total ever in a Week 1 game (and a Scoragami!).
And then there was the Browns, who lost to the Jaguars 34-10. OK, that one wasn’t crazy, because as you may or may not have noticed, the Browns almost never win in Week 1. Since returning to the NFL in 1999, the Browns are now 3-24-1 in the opening week of the season.
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The Browns never came close to pulling off the upset, but there is one team that pulled off a massive upset in Week 1: The Arizona Cardinals. The Cards were the biggest underdog of the opening week at +9.5, but they still managed to go into Los Angeles and pull of a total shocker with a 26-14 win over the Chargers.
Of course, the biggest shock of Week 1 might have been the fact that that Jets and Giants BOTH won, marking the first time since 2009 that both teams won their opener in the same season.
“He’s an average fighter,” Garcia said all week during the relentless marketing of the fight. Benn won the clashes during the week, by the way, but not one second of the fight for Garcia’s WBC welterweight title on the night.
Conor Benn beat the referee’s count but was stopped soon thereafter (Getty)
It was odd to watch Benn look so passive.
Benn is not the first British fighter to go to America and challenge for a genuine and impressive world title against a good champion, and he will not be the last. British boxers have left behind images of bravery, often foolish determination, in a series of fights that were all lost causes long before the first bell.
Benn joined the distinguished list, climbing up from a knockdown and trying even at the end to stay in the fight, as about 20 unanswered punches landed somewhere above his shoulders.
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It was desperate to watch the finish, such bravery from Benn. He had no idea that an opponent could ever be that much better, and that is an alarming realisation that quality fighters experience when they are exposed. And it is a shattering experience for the loser.
The finest example is a man called Don Cockell, perhaps the king of British losers in world-title fights in America.
In 1955, he travelled to San Francisco to fight Rocky Marciano for the world heavyweight title. Poor Don was dropped, hit when he was down, hit after the bell, never in the fight for a moment, hit low a dozen times (legal under local rules), butted, slammed with elbows and ruined in nine rounds. Marciano, you see, benefitted from a local rule that a man could not be disqualified – not for any infringement!
Garcia floored Benn with a massive right hook in round two (AP)
Cockell, with his face held together by stitches and plasters, returned to Battersea as a hero for his defiance. Marciano had one more defence and retired as the undefeated heavyweight champion of the world after 49 nine fights without loss.
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Cockell was in rare company, make no mistake; Garcia is fast, dangerous and cruel in the ring, but he is not Rocky.
Before the massacre back in 1955, the local press called Cockell “a dogged tub of fat” and “a tubby target”. Marciano led the praise after victory; in Las Vegas last week, Benn was never dismissed in such savage fashion. In defeat, it was more brutal.
Benn after his WBC title-fight defeat in T-Mobile Arena (Getty)
Cockell was just 26 that night against Marciano; it was his 79th fight, and he would walk away from the sport after two more fights – both ugly stoppage defeats. Benn is now 29, the Garcia defeat was fight number 27; he has time, money and the magic of modern matchmaking to help him heal and get back in contention.
It’s not an impossible journey, but it will be hard after the secret damage left behind by Garcia’s blistering fists.
Sanju Samson and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi (Image credit: Agencies)
Former India batter Mohammad Kaif has questioned India’s decision to pick Sanju Samson ahead of Vaibhav Sooryavanshi for the first T20I against Afghanistan.Samson returned to the Indian team but managed only 10 runs off nine balls as India beat Afghanistan by seven wickets at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi on Sunday.Sooryavanshi was among India’s best performers on their recent tour of Zimbabwe. The 15-year-old was named Player of the Series after India completed a 3-0 T20I series sweep.The youngster also scored runs for East Zone in the Duleep Trophy 2026. However, he was left out of India’s playing XI for the first T20I against Afghanistan.
Samson over Sooryavanshi
India had to choose between Sooryavanshi and Samson after the latter returned to the squad. Samson had missed the Zimbabwe tour and was also dropped from the playing XI midway through the series in England.Samson opened the innings with Abhishek Sharma against Afghanistan. The pair added 18 runs in 2.1 overs before Azmatullah Omarzai dismissed Samson.
Kaif questions Samson’s selection
Kaif questioned the decision to pick Samson over Sooryavanshi, especially as Samson had not played competitive cricket after being left out of India’s squad for the Zimbabwe tour.“What did Sanju do to play the first T20I? When you are dropped from the team, you play in different tournaments to return to form, but nothing like that happened in Samson’s case. Why didn’t you opt for the Abhishek and Suryavanshi combination after the young batter did well in Zimbabwe? They are not sure about their best opening combination. The Indian team is still thinking about their openers. Vaibhav must have felt bad as he didn’t do anything wrong. This could lead to confusion, which is not good for any team,” Kaif said on Cricbuzz.The former India cricketer also felt the decision showed that the team management was still unsure about its preferred opening combination.“In my opinion, they are hesitating a bit; they are unsure of what their best opening combination is. The Indian team are still thinking about it. Vaibhav must be saying what did I do wrong? So this is a state of confusion going on, there is no doubt about it,” he added.
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Sanju Samson under pressure after another low score
Samson has struggled for runs since India’s 2026 T20 World Cup final. He has scored 43 runs at an average of 8.60 since then. He was expected to play in the Kerala Cricket League after being dropped from the national team but opted out at the last moment due to personal reasons.The Kerala batter had also scored only 33 runs in four innings before the Afghanistan series.With Sooryavanshi waiting for an opportunity, Samson will be under pressure to score runs and retain his place at the top of the order.
Abhishek Sharma powers India to victory
India, however, made a strong start to the Afghanistan series with a seven-wicket victory.After restricting Afghanistan to 156/8, Abhishek Sharma smashed 82 off 32 balls to lead India’s chase. The hosts reached the target in just 13.4 overs. Ishan Kishan also made an important contribution after overcoming a minor back injury scare during training. He scored 42 off 33 balls, with five fours and a six.Abhishek’s aggressive knock also helped him answer questions about his recent form.India and Afghanistan will face each other in the second T20I on Tuesday.
Paris Saint-Germain secured their first win of the season away at Brest (1-0), bringing the fourth matchday of Ligue 1 to a close. Ferran Torres, who remains in fine form, scored the only goal of the match (5′).
Lille are the new leaders of Ligue 1, whilst Lens are struggling. In England, Manchester City won a controversial derby. Alexander Zverev won the US Open. The French women’s basketball team lost in the World Cup final. Enric Mas won the Vuelta a España. Kimi Antonelli just can’t stop winning in F1.
Britain’s Tom Aspinall has vacated his UFC heavyweight title because of complications in his recovery from an eye injury.
The 33-year-old has not fought since October, when the first defence of his title against Ciryl Gane ended in a no-contest following several eye pokes.
Aspinall was diagnosed with a rare eye condition, and has had persistent double vision and several operations.
“I am absolutely gutted. I have chased this dream since I was 10 years old,” he said in a statement.
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“I know what it’s like to have your career put on hold and I want the other fighters to have the opportunity to compete for the title.”
In June Aspinall said he had returned to full training for a rematch with France’s Gane and suggested they could fight in September.
In August Aspinall rejected reports that he would leave the UFC.
“I am not done. Stepping away from the title is not stepping away from the sport or the dream,” he said on Monday.
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“I will continue doing everything I can to get healthy, get cleared and get back to competing as soon as possible.”
UFC president Dana White hinted over the weekend that Aspinall could be stripped of the title.
This month Valentina Shevchenko vacated the women’s flyweight title because of persistent injuries.
Ryan Garcia has assessed Conor Benn’s performance at Las Vegas’ T-Mobile Arena, highlighting a critical mistake that contributed to his stoppage defeat.
The pair collided last weekend, with Garcia making a first defence of his WBC world title after dethroning Mario Barrios in February.
Benn, meanwhile, was widely considered to be a sizable underdog, having not made 147lbs in over four years and never proven his credentials at even domestic level.
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It therefore came as no real surprise that Garcia won inside the distance; only the manner in which he went about his business was perhaps somewhat unexpected.
Immediately, the 28-year-old’s advantages in speed and class became apparent, with Benn ultimately succumbing to a crushing right hand in round two.
Referee Thomas Taylor then waved proceedings off around 20 seconds later, just as Garcia seemed on the verge of inflicting serious damage.
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Speaking on the DAZN broadcast afterwards, the American said it was Benn’s lack of poise that allowed him to capitalise in such destructive fashion.
“I was so prepared and so focused – what a performance. The first round I knew he was going to apply mad pressure. I caught him a few times and I let him have his way, but the second round I stood my ground a little more and knew [I would catch him], because he was coming in reckless and you can’t do that against me.”
With Garcia retaining his welterweight title, he must enter one more fight with Oscar De La Hoya’s Golden Boy before becoming a free agent and exploring opportunities elsewhere.
Man United have taken four points from their opening four Premier League matches of the season after defeat to Manchester City in the derby
Manchester United are licking their wounds after a disappointing 1-0 defeat to Manchester City at Old Trafford. Controversy surrounded Erling Haaland’s winner for City. Pro Ref released a statement afterwards admitting the goal should have been ruled out because Enzo Fernandez was interfering with play from an offside position.
However, that goal cannot mask the disappointment of the performance. On 23 minutes, Phil Foden was sent off for City after he lashed out at Bruno Fernandes. But despite having a man advantage, United struggled to make it count.
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Marcus Rashford and Kobbie Mainoo clipped the post from long range and Bryan Mbeumo was denied in second-half stoppage time by a brilliant Gianluigi Donnarumma save. Those opportunities amounted to the Reds’ best chances of the game and, worryingly for Michael Carrick, City probably deserved the win on the balance of play.
In his post-match press conference, Carrick was hesitant to criticise his players. “That’s just part of the creation, I think, a little bit,” he said when asked why United reverted to long-range efforts against City. “Like I said, I can’t be too critical of the players and I won’t be, because I think we’ve done a lot of good things in that area particularly. So today we didn’t quite find what we needed.
“In terms of creation and scoring goals, that’s something I think all the games we’ve won here, we’ve scored at least two goals, and we’ve lost one game and we scored in that game. So it’s the first time, so I think there’s certainly a bit of context in that as well.
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“Whatever reason, at some point, you have a game when we haven’t scored, so I can’t be too critical of the players, because I think we’ve got some really good creative players who’ve scored and created goals a lot. 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.”
In the wake of the Premier League defeat, we want you to tell us where you think United will finish in 2026/27. Have your say below:
The college football landscape changed over the weekend.
Oregon’s loss to Oklahoma State has upended the narrative. Now, it’s the Wild West.
USC has taken advantage of its soft schedule to advance to the top spot for the first time in many years. At the same time, Washington has underperformed despite its own soft schedule.
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All the results sent me back to the lab to re-rank the Top Teams in the West for Week 3.
1. USC (0-0, 3-0) ▲1
The Trojans haven’t been tested this season.
Lincoln Riley has led USC to easy wins over San Jose State, Fresno State, and Louisiana.
But the soft schedule and late-game touchdowns allowed create some reasonable doubt.
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Nobody will know just how good USC really is until they play Oregon in two weeks.
2. BYU (1-0, 2-0) ▲1
BYU’s Playoff chances increased after its win over Arizona.
The Big 12 may have gained some national respect, too, after Oklahoma State beat Oregon.
Regardless, the Cougars have to keep winning. The Playoff Committee will do anything it can to limit the number of bids from the Big 12.
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But so long as BYU keeps winning, that won’t matter.
3. Utah (0-0, 2-0) ▲2
That’s how you gain respect. The Utes crushed Arkansas in a 43-10 blowout.
The SEC propaganda machine will spin it to de-emphasize the win.
But the large margin of victory shows that Utah is one of the favorites to win the Big 12.
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And after Texas Tech struggled in Corvallis, the league appears to be open for the taking.
4. UCLA (0-0, 2-0) ▲2
Bob Chesney has UCLA rolling.
It took a while to get it going against San Diego State. But the final score met expectations.
The Bruins might not be good enough to compete at the top of the Big 10. Yet, the program is light-years ahead of where it’s been the past few seasons.
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And the season is still early. Why not UCLA?
5. Oregon (0-0, 1-1) ▼4
The loss to Oklahoma State was arguably the worst defeat in program history. Dan Lanning and his staff should be embarrassed.
It’s hard to put into context just how bad the Cowboys have been.
They had lost 21 games in a row to FBS opponents and were coming off a defeat to Tulsa. OK State was by far the worst Power Conference team in the country.
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At some point, more than one person needs to be fired. The decision to promote coordinators from within was a mistake that might cost Oregon its entire season.
6. Boise State (0-0, 1-1) ▲3
The Broncos are on track to make the Playoff.
The victory over Memphis was critical.
But Oregon’s unexpected loss to Oklahoma State changes the dynamic moving forward. If the Ducks lose more games, the close defeat in Eugene becomes less respectable.
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To counteract that, Boise State should run the score up at every opportunity.
7. Washington (0-0, 2-0) ▼3
This is not the Washington team that was expected in the preseason.
The close game against Utah State was very damaging. The respect is gone. Jedd Fisch’s time in Seattle appears to be nearing an end.
The struggles against Washington State in Week One are now eye-opening after Kansas State dogwalked Wazzu.
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The Dawgs may be 2-0. But the perception of the program is at a several-year low.
8. Arizona (0-1, 1-1) ▼1
The primary concern around Arizona entering the season was its secondary.
The unit gave up downfield throws against NAU and BYU.
It’s a problem that’s not going away. The defense isn’t as good this season and the offense is not as efficient.
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The Cats are still a good team. Just not a great one.
9. Arizona State (0-0, 1-1) ▼1
Spin the stats however you want.
Arizona State was expected by many to be competitive against Texas A&M and they weren’t.
It was a 28-point defeat after many were predicting ASU to cover the 14-point spread. Yet, the Tempe media is spinning the loss into a moral victory.
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The reality is ASU got blown out by the only good team its faced.
10. New Mexico (0-0, 2-0) ▲NR
New Mexico has taken care of business to start the season.
With two convincing wins over nobodies, the Lobos look to be one of the top teams in the Mountain West.
Still, the MWC’s path to the Playoff is a long shot. All UNM can do is keep beating the teams on its schedule and let the cards fall.
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This week’s matchup with Oklahoma is an opportunity to gain respect nationally.
Dropped Out:San Diego State
Miller covers College Basketball and College Football as well as Formula 1 racing as a Senior Writer and Assistant Editor for SuperWest Sports.
Real Madrid have started very well under Jose Mourinho, securing victories in five of their six games so far, with the Real Betis game the only exception.
The Portuguese tactician has done a very good job of rotating the players at his disposal, and one such area is left-back.
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Alvaro Carreras has responded to increased competition at Real Madrid in exactly the way Jose Mourinho would have wanted.
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Rather than allowingMarc Cucurella‘s arrival to push him into the background, the left-back has used his opportunity to remind the manager that he remains a serious option.
According to AS, Mourinho has complete confidence in Carreras when required and was already delighted by his professionalism and performances during pre-season.
His display against Rayo Vallecano has only strengthened that trust further.
Carreras takes his opportunity with both hands
Carreras produced one of his most complete performances for Madrid, playing a major role in the victory at the Bernabeu.
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He won the penalty converted by Kylian Mbappe before scoring Madrid’s second himself, reacting sharply to a loose ball and finishing calmly after combining inside the penalty area.
Alvaro Carreras has responded brilliantly to Marc Cucurella’s arrival. (Photo by Christian Bruna/Getty Images)
His influence went beyond those decisive moments. Carreras created three chances, completed both of his attempted dribbles, made three recoveries and three clearances, won three tackles and came out on top in six of his eight duels.
He also completed 54 passes at an 88% success rate and recorded 90 touches, showing how involved he was throughout the match.
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The performance was not necessarily a surprise to Mourinho.
The Madrid coach was impressed by Carreras throughout pre-season, particularly by his attitude and professionalism while the squad gradually came together following the World Cup.
Mourinho even experimented with him in a more advanced position, another indication that he sees useful qualities beyond conventional left-back duties.
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Competition with Cucurella can benefit Madrid
Mourinho needs to manage minutes between Cucurella and Carreras. (Photo by Fran Santiago/Getty Images)
Cucurella may currently have the advantage for Madrid’s biggest matches because of his defensive reliability, but Carreras has shown why Mourinho should not view the position as settled.
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That is exactly the type of internal competition Madrid need.
Carreras offers energy, powerful forward running and genuine attacking threat. Cucurella provides a different profile and greater defensive security.
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Mourinho can choose according to the opponent rather than simply searching for one permanent solution.
Carreras did not have the greatest first season at Madrid, but his second year at the club seems to have started very well.
He has shown Cucurella that he is no pushover at left-back, and it remains to be seen how Mourinho manages their minutes through the course of the campaign.
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