VAR debate is a happy distraction for Michael Carrick who is to blame for ineffectual Man Utd

If you're going to lose a derby it's best to have a big controversial refereeing decision to rage against.

"It's a staggering decision," Michael Carrick said after Manchester United were beaten by 10-man Manchester City at Old Trafford. "I can't understand it once I seen it then the explanation almost makes it worse."

If you're going to lose a derby it's even better to have a solid point when raging against a controversial decision. There are plenty of people who would agree with the United manager's take on the VAR process around awarding Erling Haaland's winning goal.

It was the perfect smokescreen for Carrick. Sky Sports' post-match analysis was completely dominated by the offside law and its interpretation, with Micah Richards and Gary Neville baffled.

That's not to say that no-one noticed United's shortcomings. Those leaving Old Trafford on Sunday evening will rightly have been as frustrated by the Haaland goal as their side's inability to make the most of their numerical advantage.

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But in the social media age, we are hyper-focused on officiating and all too happy to declare conspiracies. And that means, for the majority, the discussion in the coming days will be around VAR, as is often the case.

That suits Carrick down to the ground. Because he doesn't want the spotlight on him after an absolute stinker of a performance in one of the biggest games of the season.

Phil Foden's red card in the 23rd minute was a nightmare for United, because it threw their game plan out of the window and piled on the pressure in front of the home crowd. Now the expectancy was for United to dominate, to lay siege to the City goal and win the derby.

Instead, City looked like the much better side. Elliot Anderson had struggled to cover both Bruno Fernandes and Matheus Cunha in the space in front of the City defence. But the red card and Enzo Maresca's shift to a 4-4-1 formation minimised that space and forced United out wide.

Carrick had no answers. He tried two things. The first was blatantly obvious: bringing on Benjamin Sesko to provide a focal point up front. The second was desperate: introducing Joshua Zirzkee - a player United tried hard to sell two weeks ago - for Marcus Rashford.

United hit the post twice, through a Rashford free-kick and a curling Kobbie Mainoo attempt. Bryan Mbeumo shot straight at Gianluigi Donnarumma in added time. That was pretty much the grand total of their attacking moments, with their three shots on target amounting to 0.95 xG, less than City's 0.99 xG.

The United hierarchy had little option but to hand Carrick the full-time job in the summer after he built up a head of steam in the second half of the season and the other candidates failed to materialise. But this game showed what Carrick's detractors argued: that he struggles to deliver when it really matters.

It's one thing guiding United to wins in the wake of the miserable Ruben Amorim era, when they've been knocked out of both cup competitions and don't have any European fixtures. It's another when you're no longer the interim boss and there are games every three days.

What makes this defeat even more worrying is that United were able to coast to a 4-0 win over Champions League debutants Sabah on Thursday in a glorified training match. There will be tougher tests to come when a Premier League game follows a genuinely competitive Champions League tie.

Carrick is clearly liked by his players. He's erudite and hard-working. But what he hasn't shown is an ability to deal with pressure in the biggest games.

The City defeat leaves United with four points from four games. They've conceded twice against Hull, Ipswich and Everton. Yes, the Haaland goal was questionable, but the biggest question mark is over their manager.