Manchester City manager Enzo Maresca has praised his players for showing incredible character after securing a dramatic 1-0 victory over Manchester United at Old Trafford.
City were forced to play with 10 men for more than an hour after Phil Foden was shown a straight red card in the 23rd minute for kicking out at Bruno Fernandes. Despite the numerical disadvantage, Maresca’s side remained disciplined and eventually found the breakthrough through Erling Haaland in the 60th minute.
The goal itself became the centre of controversy after it was initially ruled out for offside before VAR overturned the decision. Haaland was eventually allowed to keep his goal, although the refereeing body later acknowledged that VAR had made an error in awarding it.
Maresca was particularly pleased with the mentality his players showed after being reduced to 10 men.
“It was an unbelievable effort from the players.”
The Italian manager also defended the decision to award Haaland’s goal, while questioning aspects of the incident involving Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes.
City goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma also played a crucial role, producing a late save to deny United an equaliser as Maresca’s team held on for all three points.
The victory maintains Manchester City’s perfect start to the Premier League season, with Maresca winning all four of his league matches since taking charge. City are now level on points with Arsenal at the top of the table.
The victory will be particularly satisfying for Maresca given the circumstances. City not only survived with 10 men at Old Trafford but also showed the resilience and tactical discipline required to see out a highly intense Manchester derby.
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