Haaland Is Now the King of Manchester After City Survive Foden Red Card
Erling Haaland has strengthened his claim to being the new King of Manchester after firing Manchester City to a 1-0 victory over Manchester United at Old Trafford and becoming the outright leading scorer in Premier League Manchester derby history.
Haaland struck in the 60th minute to take his derby tally to nine goals in just eight appearances, moving clear of Manchester City legend Sergio Agüero and Manchester United great Wayne Rooney, who both scored eight.
But Haaland’s record-breaking goal was only part of the story as City produced a remarkable defensive display after Phil Foden was sent off in the 23rd minute.
Foden was shown a straight red card by Michael Oliver for kicking out at Bruno Fernandes. VAR reviewed the incident and upheld the decision, leaving City with 10 men for more than an hour.
United had a golden opportunity to capitalise on their numerical advantage but struggled to break City down. Marcus Rashford and Kobbie Mainoo both struck the woodwork, while United did not register their first shot on target after Foden’s dismissal until the 70th minute.
Their best opportunity came in the closing stages when Bryan Mbeumo forced a huge save from Gianluigi Donnarumma, but United ultimately paid the price for failing to make their advantage count.
Haaland’s winner was also surrounded by controversy. The goal was initially ruled out for offside before a lengthy VAR review overturned the decision.
The Norwegian needed only one clear opportunity to settle the derby, further underlining his growing dominance in the fixture. His nine goals have come in just eight appearances, giving him a better scoring rate than both Agüero and Rooney.
While Haaland claimed the headlines, Elliot Anderson was another major reason City held on. The England international covered a match-high 11.9km and made 13 defensive contributions, including three tackles, three clearances, an interception and six recoveries.
Anderson also won seven of his nine ground duels, completed 45 of 52 passes and was not dispossessed throughout the match.
