Michael Carrick, the Manchester United manager, has stressed the need to stop the refereeing controversy that overshadowed his side's derby defeat to Manchester City from bleeding into the rest of the season. An apology from officials, he insists, does not mean much.
Howard Webb, the head of the referees' committee at the Professional Game Match Officials Board, voiced his deep disappointment this week over the decision to award Erling Haaland's goal, despite Enzo Fernández playing the ball from an offside position. That moment settled the match in Manchester City's favour by a score of 1-0, even after Phil Foden's dismissal in the 23rd minute.
Things only got worse during the week. United squandered a two-goal lead and lost at home to Brighton 3-2 on Wednesday evening, crashing out of the English League Cup in the first round. Carrick suffered his second consecutive home defeat for the first time since he took charge last January.
The media criticism and analysis that followed both matches offered a reminder, though Carrick hardly needs one, of how quickly crises escalate and narratives shift at Old Trafford. For now, the manager is keen to move past it all and focus on Sunday's away trip to Fulham.
Turning to the refereeing error, Carrick said, in statements highlighted by the "ESPN" network: "It may have an impact at a certain moment, and it may be a big impact, but we cannot allow it to affect the rest of the season, as it is up to us to return to winning ways as quickly as possible."
Carrick affirmed his continued confidence in the referees, but added: "The apology does not mean much. I can appreciate and respect them admitting the mistake and holding up their hands saying: we got this decision wrong. I think such things do happen."
He continued: "But we have to move forward and deal with what is put in front of us, and perhaps we will get a decision or two in our favour later, in terms of balance or percentages or the law of averages, or whatever it may be."
He added: "But that was a very big decision that is hard to accept, and it had a huge impact on the match, which is why it was particularly difficult."
All the noise around Haaland's goal drew the fans' attention away from United's failure to break down a City defence that played with ten men from the middle of the first half.
Kobbie Mainoo and Marcus Rashford both rattled the post, and Gianluigi Donnarumma turned away a crucial effort from Bryan Mbeumo in stoppage time. Even so, United struggled to fashion chances despite their numerical advantage.
Losing at home to Brighton for the first time in 50 years, in the same month they twice let 2-2 draws slip after leading against Everton, left Carrick fielding questions about a team lacking the killer instinct of previous United generations.
He went on: "I think it is about what happened over the past week or so, and about some of the things that have appeared in the matches, but it does not suddenly mean there is a big and huge problem, and that is the balance I have to assess."
He concluded: "It is very easy, just because these things have happened recently, to suddenly think it is a problem that has been ongoing for a long time, and that is part of our understanding as a team of what can happen in football during some matches, and what we need to correct in the coming period."
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