Manchester United 2-1 Manchester City: Was Bruno Fernandes' equaliser a 'joke' or 'intelligent'?

Manchester City defender Manuel Akanji says Bruno Fernandes' equalising extremity successful the Manchester derby was a "joke", portion Manchester United brag Erik 10 Hag admitted helium "wouldn't beryllium blessed if we conceded a extremity similar this".

The England planetary was intelligibly offside, and ran towards the ball, but aft a speech with Cann referee Stuart Attwell decided Rashford did not interfere with play.

Rashford turned location Alejandro Garnacho's transverse moments aboriginal to springiness United a 2-1 win astatine a raucous Old Trafford, leaving them 1 constituent down second-placed City.

• Stunning comeback helps Man Utd bushed Man City

'I tin spot the disappointment successful the different side'

Akanji was the closest defender to Rashford, and played the offside trap arsenic the guardant ran done connected Casemiro's ball.

He ran towards the shot earlier leaving it aft getting a outcry from Fernandes, who finished past an advancing Ederson.

Fernandes reacted angrily to the offside emblem and some sets of players crowded astir Cann and Attwell during their discussion.

"To beryllium honorable the archetypal extremity is simply a joke," Akanji told BBC Match of the Day. "I saw Rashford, helium was intelligibly offside, truthful I played him offside.

"He runs until the past 2nd and helium stops erstwhile the shot is successful beforehand of him and he's close successful beforehand of Eddy [Ederson], acceptable to people the goal, due to the fact that Bruno Fernandes is shouting him.

"I recognize helium doesn't interaction the shot but he's moving for 30 metres and until the past second. For maine it is intelligibly offside. The referee doesn't adjacent look astatine the situation, it got explained astatine the commencement of the twelvemonth this would beryllium intelligibly offside."

Ten Hag, who won his archetypal Manchester derby astatine the 2nd clip of asking, said: "I could spot connected the different broadside that it confused the backline, that was clear. It is besides the rule.

"I wouldn't beryllium blessed if it was my squad arsenic good if we conceded a extremity similar this. I tin spot the disappointment successful the different side, but I tin besides spot the referee did well."

City brag Pep Guardiola added: "Marcus Rashford is offside, Bruno Fernandes is not. Rashford distracted our keeper and centre defenders. It is what it is. We cognize wherever we play. It is hard for the referees successful these stadiums."

Former Manchester City defender Micah Richards, speaking connected BBC Match of the Day, said: "It is simply a shocking decision, let's beryllium honest.

"The quality of it, arsenic a defender if idiosyncratic is there, accidental you're the striker, I americium perpetually adjusting my presumption based connected wherever you're going to be. I'm not disquieted astir anyone down me. You're trying to play a precocious enactment and that's an art."

Ex-England and Arsenal striker Ian Wright added: "It should person been offside. Manuel Akanji stops due to the fact that helium sees Marcus Rashford moving offside. He is interfering due to the fact that Akanji has tried to play him offside and past Ederson has moved to prevention wherever helium thinks he's going to shoot. He's taken everyone's attention."

Former England striker Gary Lineker added: "I don't recognize however you tin perchance accidental that Rashford isn't interfering."

'He's interfering with nobody'

For their part, Rashford and Fernandes thought the extremity should person stood.

"I thought I went a spot aboriginal truthful I didn't run. If I ran for the shot I would person conscionable took it oregon changeable oregon passed. I thought I was offside truthful I didn't interaction the ball," Rashford said.

"That's each I tin bash successful that concern and past it's up to the referee and linesman. In my sentiment I wasn't progressive successful the play. I felt similar it should person stood."

Fernandes, speaking connected BT Sport, said: "I was facing the goal, Marcus astir apt saw I was successful a amended position. I didn't cognize if either of america was offside. He didn't marque immoderate power connected the defenders. It is what it is."

Former Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand and midfielder Paul Scholes, moving arsenic pundits connected BT Sport, agreed.

Ferdinand said: "Rashford doesn't interaction immoderate of the defenders moving strides, patterns oregon positions. It is intelligent from him and Fernandes. I don't consciousness immoderate of the defenders tin power immoderate of it."

Scholes said: "He's interfering with nobody. It is bully connection and a large finish."

Former Manchester City defender Joleon Lescott agreed it should person been a goal, but added: "That's the portion of the regularisation I don't like. The defender has done good to play offside."

What does the instrumentality say?

The authoritative Ifab instrumentality publication for 2022-23 (rule 11.2) says:

A subordinate successful an offside presumption astatine the infinitesimal the shot is played oregon touched by a team-mate is lone penalised connected becoming progressive successful progressive play by:

• interfering with play by playing oregon touching a shot passed oregon touched by a team-mate or
• interfering with an hostile by:

1. Preventing an hostile from playing oregon being capable to play the shot by intelligibly obstructing the opponent's enactment of imaginativeness or

2. Challenging an hostile for the shot or

3. Clearly attempting to play a shot which is adjacent erstwhile this enactment impacts connected an hostile oregon

4. Making an evident enactment which intelligibly impacts connected the quality of an hostile to play the shot

or

• gaining an vantage by playing the shot oregon interfering with an hostile erstwhile it has:

1. Rebounded oregon been deflected disconnected the goalpost, crossbar, lucifer authoritative oregon an opponent

2. Been deliberately saved by immoderate opponent

'Rashford has to beryllium interfering' - however societal media reacted

Ben: I enactment neither squad but that is 100% offside. Rashford faints to sprout and goalie and defenders watching 2 players. Officials marque it up arsenic they spell along.

Paul J: Rashford doesn't impede oregon play that ball. It HAS to stand. Nothing arguable astir it.

Steve: Shocking VAR didn't contradict the archetypal extremity and the 2nd came arsenic a effect of it. Refs and VAR are indefensible.

Alex Haworth: I mean the equaliser is 100% offside, Rashford has shepherded the shot to Bruno. But what a turnaround.

Andrew Mitchell: I'm a Utd instrumentality truthful I'm evidently happy, but yet different grounds of however ridiculous the offside regularisation is. Rashford whitethorn not person touched it, but he's is chasing that ball, for each intents and purposes he's the 1 successful possession it, however tin helium not beryllium an progressive player?

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