Manchester City bounced back in style from their recent setbacks as Erling Haaland’s second-half double sealed a commanding 3-0 victory over Manchester United at the Etihad. The win gave Pep Guardiola’s men their first derby triumph inside 90 minutes in the last five meetings between the sides across all competitions, Softfootball reports.
The game began with both teams showing real intent. Haaland came agonisingly close to breaking the deadlock early, while United’s new Striker Benjamin Šeško on his first premier league start tested Gianluigi Donnarumma with a sharp effort.
At the other end, Altay Bayındır survived one scare but could do nothing in the 18th minute when Jérémy Doku’s persistence on the wing paid off, his cross eventually headed home by Phil Foden. It was Foden’s seventh career goal against United, a fixture in which he has become a consistent tormentor.
City continued to press through Doku and Tijjani Reijnders, while Haaland missed an uncharacteristic chance after a clever team move. United’s best moment came when Bruno Fernandes attempted an audacious free-kick just before the interval, but Donnarumma was alert to deny him.
After the break, City’s grip tightened. Haaland, who had worked tirelessly in defensive phases, reminded everyone of his attacking brilliance by holding off Luke Shaw and delicately dinking home Doku’s perfectly-timed through ball. The Norwegian nearly added another soon after, striking the post, before Donnarumma kept out a dangerous volley from Bryan Mbeumo at the other end.
But there was no denying Haaland for long. Punishing United’s sloppy play, he latched onto Bernardo Silva’s incisive pass and clinically slotted home his second of the afternoon. The striker later turned provider, but Reijnders failed to convert, firing wide from close range. City remained in complete control until the final whistle, with United unable to mount any late fightback.
Meanwhile, Manchester City via the team’s official X handle posted a post match reaction of Erling Haaland applauding the fans after wining the Manchester derby, watch below;
The result not only ended City’s run of consecutive defeats but also underlined their firepower, with Haaland back to his devastating best. For United, it was another sobering derby day, leaving Ruben Amorim’s side with just one win coming against Burnley in their opening five Premier League matches this season.
