Published on 30.10.2023
Erling Haaland scored a brace and Phil Foden added another, propelling Manchester City to a dominant derby day triumph against their neighbors, Manchester United.
The 3-0 victory at Old Trafford elevated the defending champions to third place in the Premier League, trailing the leaders, Tottenham, by just two points.
While City had suffered two recent Premier League away defeats, they proved too strong for United, who are grappling with issues across the pitch, despite a series of close wins and numerous injuries. The scoreline could have been even more lopsided if it weren’t for Andre Onana, who made a string of outstanding saves.
Haaland and Foden both recorded hat-tricks in a 6-3 victory for City when these two teams met a year ago. However, the gap between the Manchester rivals remains substantial even after 12 months.
Haaland’s first goal came from a penalty kick, awarded by referee Paul Tierney, who consulted the pitchside monitor after Rasmus Hojlund’s foul on Rodri in the box. Although Sky Sports pundits labeled it as “soft,” former referee Mike Dean was convinced it was a “clear holding offense.”
Premier League’s top scorer, Haaland, headed home his 11th goal of the season after the break, which was identical to a chance at the end of the first half that Onana spectacularly saved. Haaland’s strike left no chance for the goalkeeper this time.
Let’s go! ✊ pic.twitter.com/VEww5ds80l
— Manchester City (@ManCity) October 29, 2023
Onana prevented Haaland from securing a hat-trick with a one-on-one opportunity soon after, and the striker chose to pass to Foden for an easy tap-in, sealing City’s victory.
City has now won six of the last eight derbies across all competitions and encountered minimal trouble in this match. While Scott McTominay’s first-half shot forced Ederson to tip over, and Marcus Rashford missed a second-half chance for United, City’s head coach, Pep Guardiola, who managed his 20th Manchester derby, has mastered this fixture.
United manager Erik ten Hag, whose decision to substitute Hojlund was met with boos, couldn’t find the winning formula, leaving his side in eighth place, a substantial 11 points behind the leaders, Tottenham.
