Phil Foden, only 23 years old, the pearl of the Manchester City youth team, dressed up as a magician in the purest Andrés Iniesta style and rescued Pep Guardiola’s team to win the Manchester derby. Erling Haaland finished off the citizen victory (3-1) with a goal, the 18th of this season in the Premier, with which he made amends for a glaring mistake.
So the sky blues keep the pulse on Liverpool, at one point, in their fight in the English League: the reds have 63 points compared to 62 for the citizens, with Arsenal third with 58. United remains sixth with 44.
In an electric start, City put their citizen neighbor behind, with a first shot from Phil Foden in the first minute and another from Erling Haaland after three.
However, it was United that went ahead with a three-touch blackboard play, the maximum expression of direct football: long throw-in by goalkeeper Onana, control in front by Bruno Fernandes, who with his back to goal gives up behind Marcus Rashford who arrives like a locomotive to hit a very powerful shot that hits the bottom of the crossbar and scores for the goal (m. 8).
A flash that did not change the script of the game, with City on their way, possessing the ball, inventing play and looking for the goal through the creation of spaces. Foden tried again with a shot that was stopped by Onana (m. 14), emerging as a hero by putting his toe into the English striker’s shot for the second time (m. 18), and then stopping a shot from Rodrigo in two moments (m. . 32).
The harassment and knockdown of the citizens was overwhelming (15 shots to United’s 2), but even so, the one that ruled the scoreboard was the Old Traford team, faithful at least that is more.
City tried by land, sea and air. De Bruyne joined the bombardment with a long-range shot (m. 41) that went into the clouds, but Haaland had the biggest chance, who incredibly missed only between the sticks on the stroke of half-time (m. 45).
The Norwegian, incredulous at what he had just wasted when the most difficult thing was to send it away, put his hands on his head as he missed into an empty goal. Foden’s header served him the equalizer on a plate, but Haaland arrived on the run, forced, and with the inside of his left boot sent the shot over the crossbar.
After the break, City reappeared ready to equalize quickly so as not to get overwhelmed as the minutes passed. Jeremy Doku tested whether Onana was still inspired (m. 48) and the Cameroonian goalkeeper responded with the same agility. The citizens needed to sharpen their aim.
And then Phil Foden appeared, City’s 23-year-old youth player, the one who had tried the most. He took a whip from the front out of his hat, moving from the right inwards, and in the face of Lindelöf’s opposition, his violent shot slipped into the left corner.
A great goal (m. 56) that competed in beauty with Rashford’s and that marked the restart of the duel. Guardiola’s team had more than half an hour to avoid giving up two points and losing Liverpool’s lead.
The derby was dying on its way to a tie… until with 10 minutes remaining it was Phil Foden who rescued City with another superb goal. The English striker, pure speed, combined in a book wall with Julián Álvarez and pierced Onana’s goal with a powerful and crossed shot that made it 2-1.
City broke United’s prodigious streak, which since 2014 had finished unbeaten in its last 143 Premier League games when it had taken the lead at half-time.
The 3-1 sentence was given by Erling Haaland in the 91st minute to redeem himself from his resounding failure with a shot placed with the inside of his left boot that fit the post. The Norwegian had received the pass from Rodri, after recovering a ball on the edge of the area lost by Amrabat.
