'A bad day for referees!' - Micah Richards slams VAR 'injustice' as 10-man Manchester City down Manchester United in controversial derby

The Manchester derby is rarely short on drama, but the latest installment was defined more by the whistles and monitors than the football itself. Former Man City star Richards was pulling no punches in his post-match analysis, suggesting that the officials failed to manage the game's biggest moments correctly.

Speaking on Sky Sports, Richards expressed his frustration with the level of officiating on display. "I think it's been a bad day for referees, I think it's been a bad day for VAR," Richards said. "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."

The game's decisive moment arrived on the hour mark when Haaland found the net. The goal was initially ruled out by the on-field officials for offside, but a lengthy VAR review eventually overturned the decision, much to the fury of the United dugout.

The Premier League Match Centre X account attempted to clarify the situation shortly after the final whistle. The post said: "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 stunning post-match reversal, the Professional Game Referees body contacted Manchester United to admit that allowing the goal was an "error of judgement." In their statement, the body conceded that the VAR "did not recognise the likely impact of [Fernandez's] position and should have recommended an on-field review," confirming that the decisive strike should not have stood.

Long before Haaland's winner, the match was turned on its head when Foden was sent off just 23 minutes into the game. The England international was shown a straight red card for his reaction to a kick from United captain Bruno Fernandes.

Richards, however, felt the dismissal of Foden was a step too far by the officiating team. Yet, he was quick to praise how Enzo Maresca's men handled the adversity. "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."

While the refereeing dominated the headlines, former United captain Roy Keane focused on the psychological battle between the two rivals. Keane noted that United failed to take advantage of their extra man, eventually being outmaneuvered by a City side that showed far more tactical maturity despite the chaos. The defeat leaves United searching for answers as they failed to break down a resilient blue wall.

Keane suggested that the Red Devils lacked the composure required to win such a high-stakes game. "City were smarter than United. United when City went down to 10 men, United players maybe started overthinking it," Keane said. "Again, keep it simple, still do the simple things right. City were certainly more streetwise." The result leaves City celebrating a hard-fought three points while the PGMOL prepares for the inevitable scrutiny regarding the afternoon’s officiating calls.