MANCHESTER — Manchester United slumped to a 1-0 derby defeat to Manchester City at Old Trafford despite playing against 10 men for most of the match after Phil Foden's first-half red card, with Erling Haaland's controversial winner sealing a damaging result that leaves Michael Carrick's side on four points from four games, matching the club's joint-worst start to a Premier League season.
Refereeing body Pro Ref admitted an error in awarding the winner just hours after the final whistle, telling Manchester United it made an "error of judgment" and that the VAR "should have recommended an on-field review" with Enzo Fernandez in an offside position potentially impacting play, with Sky Sports News understanding United have received an apology over the incorrect decision.
Despite the contention, Gary Neville said United's game management was poor and that Carrick should be concerned by the performance itself. "Michael Carrick can be angry about the goal but he should also be angry about the performance," Neville said on the Gary Neville Podcast. "It was an awful last 10 minutes from an experience perspective for Manchester United because that's where you think, to be fair, you throw the kitchen sink at it, and you're building the crowd up and the pressure up and it's a pressure cooker and you get a goal."
Neville said the result highlighted a wider inability to navigate matches against 10 men, with United now having lost three games in the last year to 10 men, including a 1-0 defeat to Everton last season following Idrissa Gana Gueye's red card at Old Trafford. The four-point return matches Ruben Amorim's record at the same stage last season, and Neville warned of concerning signs. "It was a bad day for Manchester United, it really was," he said. "You're losing a derby, it's a shocking day anyway. I've lost derbies myself, it's awful, but then to not score a goal against 10 men is not what I expected today. I expected goals from Manchester United." He added: "It is early but there are some concerning signs. They're not playing well in matches and they're also struggling in matches. Even the game against Ipswich; Ipswich were good for 55 minutes and caused big problems. They could have scored two or three, so there's some questions building."
Attention now turns to next Sunday's trip to Fulham, live on Sky Sports, which Neville described as a defining early test. "Next Sunday against Fulham, that becomes a real pressure game now because obviously Fulham have not started the season that well," Neville said.