Sport
How Man City exposed Man Utd’s problems After Yesterday Play Out Match
Report and free match highlights as Premier League top scorer Haaland scored either side of half-time and set up Foden to win Manchester derby and lift Man City to third, two points behind leaders Tottenham; Man Utd eighth and have now lost six of last eight against Pep Guardiola’s men
City had lost their last two on the road in the Premier League but had too much for a United side who, despite a recent run of narrow wins and a spate of injuries, have issues to address across the pitch. If it wasn’t for Andre Onana, who made a series of fine stops, the scoreline could easily have been heavier.
Haaland and Foden both scored hat-tricks in the 6-3 City win when these sides met a year ago and 12 months on the gap between the Manchester rivals remains huge.
Referee Paul Tierney signaled Haaland’s first goal from the spot after Rasmus Hojlund’s pull on Rodri in the box was flagged by him from the pitchside monitor. Although all of the analysts on Sky Sports called it “soft,” former referee Mike Dean was certain that it was a “clear holding offence.”
After the break, Haaland, the leading scorer in the Premier League, scored his 11th goal of the year with a header. It was an identical chance to one that Onana brilliantly stopped at the end of the first half, but this time, Haaland gave the goalie no chance.
Onana denied Haaland a third from a one-on-one chance soon after and the striker passed up the opportunity to go for goal again when he squared for Foden to tap in a simple finish to put City out of si
City have now won six of the last eight derbies across all competitions and were rarely troubled in this one. A first-half Scott McTominay drive forced Ederson to tip over and Marcus Rashford sent a second-half chance wide but City head coach Pep Guardiola, in charge for a 20th Manchester derby, has mastered this match-up.
United were out to make a statement from the first whistle, flying out of the blocks against their more fancied neighbours, with makeshift left-back Victor Lindelof hooking the ball onto the roof of the net and McTominay shooting at Ederson inside two minutes.
