Erling Haaland scored twice as Manchester City added to Manchester United’s woes with a 3-0 triumph at Old Trafford, bringing them within two points of Premier League leaders Tottenham.
Haaland calmly converted a penalty midway through the first half, then added a header just after the break, and also played a role in setting up Phil Foden for City’s third goal.
At the outset of the game, Manchester City found themselves positioned outside the top four following a somewhat inconsistent beginning to their title defense.
However, under the guidance of Pep Guardiola, they continue to be frontrunners in their pursuit of an unprecedented fourth consecutive Premier League title, as their dominant performance elevated them to the third spot.
Manchester United’s fifth loss in 10 league matches this season places them in the eighth position, a considerable 11 points behind the league leaders.
The pre-match tribute to United legend Bobby Charlton continued, with former players from both clubs who had played alongside and against the 1966 World Cup winner being acknowledged on the pitch during a minute’s applause.
However, as soon as the match began, the competitive spirit was back in full force.
Despite a challenging start to the season, United had managed to secure victories in their previous three matches, albeit in a less than convincing manner, against Brentford, Sheffield United, and FC Copenhagen.
This match served as a true assessment of any potential resurgence for Erik ten Hag’s team, and they fell short, even though it took Manchester City 45 minutes to truly find their rhythm.
Andre Onana’s crucial penalty save in the dying moments of the match against Copenhagen in the midweek, which preserved Manchester United’s hopes in the Champions League, might just be the pivotal moment in the Cameroonian goalkeeper’s tenure at Old Trafford.
But for the former Inter Milan goalkeeper, Manchester United would have experienced an even more humbling afternoon.
Onana was forced to showcase his skills once again as he deflected Foden’s header and thwarted Haaland’s follow-up, with Harry Maguire subsequently clearing the ball off the line.
However, his penalty-saving heroics eluded him when VAR intervened to grant City their first penalty at Old Trafford since 1992. Rodri was clearly fouled by Rasmus Hojlund, though United might argue that similar infractions often go unpunished in the box.
In recent times, Haaland has faced some criticism for falling short of his typically high goal-scoring standards.
Unfortunately, Manchester United failed to learn from that previous warning, and City managed to double their lead just four minutes into the second half using a nearly identical play.
Bernardo Silva was fed a pass down the left, and his cross was met by Haaland with a deftly cushioned header, this time eluding Onana’s reach.
City then assumed full command of the match, and only an exceptional save by Onana prevented Haaland from securing his second Manchester derby hat-trick when he found himself with a clear path to goal.
However, City’s striker, wearing the number nine, displayed unselfishness as he passed up the opportunity for a hat-trick. Instead, he set up Foden for an easy tap-in after Onana had deflected Rodri’s initial shot.
The third goal prompted numerous United fans to start leaving the stadium, with many expressing their dissatisfaction with Ten Hag’s choice to substitute Hojlund before their departure.
Following a promising debut season in charge, the expectations for Ten Hag to reverse the team’s declining performance are mounting.
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