LAGOS, Nigeria (VOICE OF NAIJA) Erling Haaland and Phil Foden both found the net to secure a 3-0 victory for Manchester City against their neighbors, Manchester United.
The defending champions now sit in third place, just two points behind Premier League leaders Tottenham.
City had previously suffered two consecutive losses in away games, but their performance at Old Trafford demonstrated their superiority over a struggling United side.
Despite facing a series of injuries and narrowly winning their recent matches, the host team had glaring weaknesses across the field.
Thanks to a series of fine saves by Andre Onana, the scoreline wasn’t even more lopsided.
Erling Haaland had previously recorded a hat-trick in a 6-3 victory for City against United a year ago, highlighting the continued gulf in quality between the Manchester rivals.
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The first of Haaland’s goals came from the penalty spot after referee Paul Tierney, aided by VAR, deemed a foul by Rasmus Hojlund on Rodri inside the box.
While some pundits described it as “soft,” former referee Mike Dean insisted it was a “clear holding offense.”
Erling Haaland netted his second goal with a powerful header in the second half, marking his 11th goal of the season.
He had a similar chance at the end of the first half, which was impressively blocked by Onana, but this time the Norwegian striker left no room for the goalkeeper to intervene.
In the later stages, Onana denied Haaland a third goal when he faced a one-on-one opportunity.
Instead of attempting the shot himself, Haaland unselfishly set up Phil Foden for an easy tap-in, effectively sealing City’s victory.
Manchester City has now won six of the last eight derbies between these teams across various competitions.
The Citizens largely controlled the match and rarely faced serious threats from their neighbors.
Pep Guardiola, who led City for the 20th time in a Manchester derby, demonstrated his mastery of this encounter.
On the other hand, United’s manager, Erik ten Hag, was unable to devise a winning strategy, and his team remains in eighth place, trailing league leaders Spurs by a substantial 11-point margin.
