Manchester City produced a dominant display at the Etihad, thrashing Manchester United 3-0 to claim bragging rights in the 197th Manchester derby. Erling Haaland marked his 150th game for City with a decisive brace meanwhile Phil Foden opened the scoring.
The match showed a glaring gulf between the two sides. Pep Guardiola’s men came into the derby after two straight defeats. However, Haaland had rallied his teammates before kickoff, urging them and motivating them. The Norwegian forward backed his words with action.
He scored twice in the second half to put the game beyond doubt. His first came after shrugging off Luke Shaw and finishing with typical precision. Later, he sprinted clear of United’s defense before slotting calmly past Altay Bayindir. Phil Foden had earlier given City the lead with his seventh derby goal.
He rose to head in Jeremy Doku’s cross after the winger’s dazzling run down the right. Doku continued to torment United’s backline, later slipping a perfectly weighted pass for Haaland’s second strike. Guardiola praised Foden’s impact throughout the game.
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For Manchester United, it was another painful derby memory. Ruben Amorim’s side lacked creativity and sharpness. It has been a recurring theme since his appointment. Despite a £200m summer spend on attacking reinforcements, they were outclassed in midfield and looked blunt in the final third.
Amad Diallo missed a golden early chance, while Benjamin Sesko was twice denied by Gianluigi Donnarumma. The new goalscorer impressed on his City debut with several commanding saves. Amorim demanded perfection in matches like these during the post-match, saying:
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“In these kind of games, we need to be perfect and in this game we were not perfect.” But with just 31 points from his 31 games in charge, patience among United fans appears to be wearing thin. The away section emptied long before the final whistle.
Meanwhile,vCity fans celebrated with Poznan. For City, the win was not only about pride but also a statement of intent. Haaland now has 129 goals in 150 appearances for the club, including 90 in the Premier League. Guardiola will hope this win will kickstart their campaign after a stuttering start.
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