Twenty-four hours on from the Manchester derby, there has been no shortage of fallout for City.
Phil Foden’s red card, Erling Haaland’s winner and the subsequent Pro Ref admission have dominated much of the discussion, while attention is already beginning to turn towards Thursday’s Carabao Cup tie against Norwich.
Here is today’s Man City news and talking points.
Maresca wanted Fernandes sent off too
Enzo Maresca had no argument with Foden’s red card after the City forward reacted to Bruno Fernandes during Sunday’s derby. The City boss did, however, believe Fernandes should have followed him. Maresca felt the United captain’s initial action also warranted a red card, although City eventually overcame playing more than an hour with ten men to win 1-0.
Read more: Enzo Maresca makes Bruno Fernandes red-card claim after Man City derby win
Pro Ref admits VAR error
There was another refereeing controversy surrounding Haaland’s winner.
Haaland himself was onside, but Enzo Fernandez was in an offside position and attempted to play Josko Gvardiol’s cross as Lisandro Martinez defended it. Pro Ref has acknowledged that VAR failed to recognise the possible impact of Fernandez’s position and should have recommended an on-field review.
United had every right to be unhappy with the decision, but they still had more than an hour against ten-man City and failed to make it count.
Read more: Pro Ref admission does not tell the whole story of Man City derby win
Haaland reveals Foden’s half-time message
Foden may have been off the pitch, but he still had something to say at half-time. Haaland revealed that the 26-year-old encouraged his team-mates to remain positive despite being down to ten men. Elliot Anderson described a similar mood in the dressing room, with City eventually finding the winner through Haaland on the hour.
Read more: Erling Haaland reveals Phil Foden response after Manchester derby red card
Guehi stands tall
Haaland scored the winner and Anderson took the Player of the Match award, but Marc Guehi’s contribution should not be lost amid everything else that happened. The centre-back was excellent alongside Ruben Dias as City dealt with United’s numerical advantage. It was probably Guehi’s best performance since joining the club and came on an afternoon when City needed their defenders most.
Read more: Marc Guehi showed exactly why Man City wanted him in derby win
Maresca explains City’s ten-man approach
Maresca resisted the temptation to spend the remainder of the derby defending his own penalty area after Foden’s dismissal. Instead, he retained Haaland, Antoine Semenyo and later Iliman Ndiaye as attacking outlets, giving United something to think about when City regained possession.
Read more: Enzo Maresca explains Man City thinking after Phil Foden red card
Norwich comes quickly
There is little time to dwell on the derby result. City begin the defence of the Carabao Cup against Norwich at the Etihad on Thursday, just four days after the effort required against Manchester United. That gives Maresca decisions to make over how many of Sunday’s starters he asks to go again.
Nico O’Reilly is available after returning from his back problem in the derby, while Jeremy Doku remains City’s only confirmed senior injury absentee.
Read more: Enzo Maresca has Man City decisions to make after exhausting derby win
Man City trackers updated
We’ve also brought the main City season trackers up to date today. The Man City player stats tracker now reflects four Premier League wins from four, while the fixtures and results tracker includes the derby victory and Thursday’s meeting with Norwich. The Man City injury and fitness tracker has also been refreshed following O’Reilly’s return and the latest position on Doku.
How to watch Man City v Norwich
Thursday’s third-round tie kicks off at 7.30pm BST at the Etihad and will be shown on Sky Sports+ in the UK.
It will be available on Paramount+ in the United States, where kick-off is at 2.30pm ET. City are defending the trophy after beating Arsenal 2-0 at Wembley last season.
Man City v Norwich: Kick-off time, TV channel and how to watch Carabao Cup tie
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