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Carrick Defends VAR After Fernandez Offside Miss

By Drooid · Sep 20, 2026, 2:00 AM UTC · How we work

Summary

VAR Misses Offside

Pro Ref apologized within three hours after VAR missed Enzo Fernandez offside before Haaland’s winning goal.
Michael Carrick said he still trusts VAR, describing the missed offside as a one-off error.
Carrick said he expects to ride out a storm after a poor start.
United have earned four points from their first four league games.
United lost 3-2 to Brighton in the League Cup, surrendering a two-goal lead at Old Trafford.

Summary

United Injury Crisis

Manchester United face an injury crisis, with Amad Diallo, Carlos Baleba, Matthijs de Ligt, Manuel Ugarte and Tom Heaton unavailable.
Fulham miss Tom Cairney (knee) and Kenny Tete (concussion) for the Craven Cottage clash.
Opta’s supercomputer assigns Manchester United a 47.4% win probability and Fulham a 28.3% probability for the match.

History

Historical Context

VAR first appeared in an official match on 21 September 2016 (Ajax vs Willem II) and was showcased at the 2018 FIFA World Cup, where 335 incidents were reviewed—about seven per game—with a 99.3 % success rate. Following criticism at the 2017 Confederations Cup and technical glitches in 2018 leagues, the Premier League introduced VAR for the 2019-20 season, reigniting the early controversy.

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VAR Misses Offside

Pro Ref apologized within three hours after VAR missed Enzo Fernandez offside before Haaland’s winning goal.
Michael Carrick said he still trusts VAR, describing the missed offside as a one-off error.
Carrick said he expects to ride out a storm after a poor start.
United have earned four points from their first four league games.
United lost 3-2 to Brighton in the League Cup, surrendering a two-goal lead at Old Trafford.

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