Micah Richards criticises officiating after Manchester derby drama

Former Manchester City defender Micah Richards has taken aim at the officiating following the club's hard-fought 1-0 win over Manchester United, labelling the day a "bad day for referees" after a series of contentious VAR decisions.

Richards criticises officiating standards The Manchester derby is seldom lacking in excitement, but this latest clash was overshadowed by the referees and VAR rather than the play on the pitch. Richards did not hold back in his post-match comments, arguing that the officials mishandled key moments in the match. Speaking on Sky Sports, he voiced his dissatisfaction with the officiating, stating, "I think it's been a bad day for referees, I think it's been a bad day for VAR. I think they got the Phil Foden decision wrong after 23 minutes and they got this [Erling Haaland's goal] decision wrong. How you can say Enzo Fernandez is not challenging [for the ball]... Of course he is. "I've been in that position as a defender where any slight movement can make the difference between going for the ball or not. Of course it affects him."

Controversial Haaland winner stands The defining moment of the match came when Haaland scored an hour in. Initially ruled out for offside by the on-field officials, a lengthy VAR review ultimately overturned the decision, inciting outrage from the United bench. The Premier League Match Centre X account sought to clarify the situation shortly after the match, stating: "VAR checked the referee's call of no goal for offside - and determined that Haaland was in an onside position and recommended that the goal was awarded. The VAR also deemed that while in an offside position, Fernandez didn't play the ball." However, in a surprising post-match development, the Professional Game Referees body reached out to Manchester United to acknowledge that permitting the goal was an "error of judgement." They admitted that the VAR "did not recognise the likely impact of [Fernandez's] position and should have recommended an on-field review," confirming that the goal should not have counted.

Foden sees red in first half Before Haaland's decisive goal, the match took a turn when Foden was sent off just 23 minutes into the game. The England international received a straight red card for his reaction to a kick from United captain Bruno Fernandes. Richards believed the decision to dismiss Foden was excessive but commended how Enzo Maresca's side coped with the situation. "I just think they got it so wrong, but that doesn't take anything away from City's performance," Richards added. "To go that long with 10 men is just incredible. We talked about fight, we talked about spirit, new manager, first derby, what have you got? They showed exactly what they are."

Source: Goal