In a game settled by a single goal, the scrutiny was always going to be intense.
That is why the fallout feels bigger than a routine refereeing debate. When the margin is one goal, every frame of a review carries extra weight, and every explanation after full-time matters.
This was not a derby short on flashpoints. Other reports suggest Phil Foden was also sent off in a contentious moment involving Bruno Fernandes, while United are said to have struck the post twice.
That wider context matters. It turns the match from a straightforward away win into one of those afternoons where the officiating sits alongside the football, rather than behind it. For City, the result goes in the book. For United, the feeling appears to be that a major call tilted the biggest moment of the game.
The problem for VAR is not only whether a decision was right or wrong. It is whether supporters, players and pundits can clearly understand why it was reached. In high-profile matches, uncertainty becomes the story.
If the review process is seen as inconsistent, criticism grows fast. That is especially true in a derby, where tension is already at its limit and one call can dominate the post-match reaction.
The football moves on quickly, but this debate may not. The next step is the officials’ response, and both Manchester United and Manchester City will know the noise around this one could linger well into their next fixtures.