Haaland Strikes as 10-Man City Shock United in Derby
The Red Devils have now dropped points in three of their first four league matches and remain 13th in the standings.
Photo: Courtesy.
By Robert Mutasi
Erling Haaland scored the decisive goal as Manchester City claimed a dramatic 1-0 victory over Manchester United in a controversial Manchester derby played with City down to 10 men for more than 70 minutes.
The visitors were reduced to 10 players when Phil Foden received a straight red card for an incident involving United captain Bruno Fernandes.Foden was sent off after catching Fernandes in the chest with his studs while the City midfielder was on the ground.
The decision immediately became one of the major talking points of the match, particularly because Fernandes appeared to make contact with Foden shortly before the incident.
Despite having a numerical advantage for most of the contest, United struggled to turn their dominance into goals.The hosts came close shortly before half-time when Marcus Rashford’s dipping free-kick struck the post.
United hit the woodwork again early in the second half when Kobbie Mainoo’s curling effort from distance clipped the post before rebounding off City goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma.
City survived the pressure and then delivered the decisive blow in the 60th minute.Josko Gvardiol’s low cross took a deflection before reaching Haaland at the far post.
The Norwegian striker calmly turned the ball into the net to give City a lead that United were unable to overturn.The goal was surrounded by another contentious VAR decision.
Haaland was initially flagged offside, but a lengthy review showed that Patrick Dorgu’s toe had kept him inside.There was also scrutiny over Enzo Fernandez’s position.
The United player was clearly offside and attempted to reach the cross before Haaland finished, but VAR ruled that he had not interfered with play sufficiently to cancel the goal.
United continued searching for an equaliser, with Fernandes creating a late opportunity for Bryan Mbeumo. Donnarumma reacted quickly to push Mbeumo’s effort behind for a corner.
The victory maintained City’s perfect start to the Premier League campaign under manager Enzo Maresca and moved them level on points with Arsenal at the top of the table.For United, the defeat added to an increasingly difficult opening to the season.
The Red Devils have now dropped points in three of their first four league matches and remain 13th in the standings.United’s failure to beat a City side that played with 10 men for most of the match will raise further questions about their attacking performance and their ability to take advantage of favourable situations.
City, meanwhile, demonstrated their defensive resilience before Haaland provided the moment that settled a fiercely contested derby.
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