Erling Haaland’s clinical finish proved decisive as Manchester City edged past their local rivals in a tense, incident packed derby, despite being reduced to ten players for the final seventy plus minutes.
The turning point arrived early when Phil Foden was dismissed for lashing out at Bruno Fernandes with his boot while seated on the turf, moments after the United skipper appeared to strike Foden’s back without punishment. United capitalized on their numerical edge, rattling the woodwork twice, first through Marcus Rashford’s swerving free kick, then via Kobbie Mainoo’s long range curler that cannoned off the post and struck goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma before being safely collected.
Yet it was City who broke the deadlock in the sixtieth minute, as Haaland tapped home Josko Gvardiol’s deflected low delivery. An initial offside flag was overturned after a prolonged VAR review confirmed Patrick Dorgu had inadvertently played the Norwegian onside, while Enzo Fernandez, though offside himself, was judged not to have interfered with Lammens’ attempt to reach the ball.
United’s best remaining opportunity came late on when Bryan Mbeumo’s powerful effort was pushed away by Donnarumma following a Fernandes assist, but the hosts could not find an equalizer against their depleted opponents.
The win extended City’s flawless league start under rookie boss Enzo Maresca, lifting them level with Arsenal atop the standings. For United, it marked their third dropped points in four outings, leaving them stuck in thirteenth, with echoes of last season’s shock defeat to ten man Everton impossible to ignore.
