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Phil Foden stole the show as Manchester City came from behind to beat rivals United in the Manchester derby.
The England star scored a hat-trick as the Red Devils were beaten 6-3 at the Etihad in Erik ten Hag’s debut season, and he came back to haunt the Dutchman, with two fine second-half goals before Erling Haaland , guilty of a notable failure in the first half, had the last word.
United had taken the lead at half-time thanks to Marcus Rashford’s stunning goal in the eighth minute. In their first attack of the game, Bruno Fernandes fed Rashford, who beat Ederson from 25 yards for just his sixth goal of the season.
But City dominated throughout the match as United conceded more than 20 shots on goal for the tenth time this season. You can only get your way for so long, and not against opposition like this.
However, the home team needed a moment of individual brilliance to find their breakthrough.
Eleven minutes into the second half, Foden, faced with out-of-position left-back Victor Lindelof, decided not to look for a pass, stepped on his left post and hit one into the top corner of Andre Onana.
He doubled the lead after a beautiful one-two with Julián Álvarez in the 80th minute, before Haaland made amends for his earlier horrific miss in stoppage time with a left-footed shot into the net that sent dozens of visiting fans from the ground.
Here are seven talking points from Etihad…
1. City get the job done against inferior United
It probably wasn’t how Pep Guardiola wanted it to be. Heck, you can probably delete.
This probably wasn’t how Ten Hag wanted it to be either. Again you can eliminate the probably.
Ten Hag’s team, stripped of Rasmus Hojlund when he had just found his place, opted for a sort of 4-2-2-2 formation, with Scott McTominay and Bruno Fernandes as more advanced central players, Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho on the flanks . No fixed forward. A rotating cast.
Apart from Rashford’s wonderful strike, it didn’t really work. There were a few breakaways here and there, but they basically spent 98 minutes defending the edge of their 18-yard box, trying to be decisive and hoping their opponents would have a bad day.
City accepted for a while, but in the end their quality showed. You can’t allow Guardiola’s team a total of 27 shots and 3.32 xG and expect to get away with it. With John Stones and Rodri operating at the base of the midfield, in front of the back three, and with Haaland as the focal point of the attack, they returned to the 3-4-2-1 formation that propelled them to last season’s treble. .
They wore down an inferior United. A United that knows itself to be inferior.
And when they needed some magic, Foden delivered.
2. Rashford’s response
This week, Rashford responded to critics who he says questioned his desire while playing for United this season.
“If you ever question my commitment to United, that’s when I have to speak up,” he wrote in an article for the Players’ tribune. “It’s like someone is questioning my entire identity and everything I stand for as a man. “If you start questioning my commitment to this club and my love for football and bringing my family to it, I would just ask you to have a little more humanity.”
It certainly received a mixed reaction from United supporters and rival fans. Rashford is a hero for what he did during Covid, using his voice to bring free school meals to children who needed them in large parts of the UK. After all, only idiots believe that children should not be fed.
However, the point that Rashford missed with this week’s statement was that the criticism from football writers, football fans and football experts has nothing to do with his actions off the field, as whether good or bad, but with what it produces in the field. . He felt wrong. This season, after having scored as few goals as he has (previously only five of 32, after having scored 30 last season), when his body language has seemed as disinterested as, at times, there will be criticism for what people come in the field.
The best way to respond, something that shuts everyone up even if only for a short time, is to simply hit one into the top corner from 25 yards at over 70 mph. His 30th goal against other members of the Premier League’s so-called ‘Big Six’ was probably his best. What a strike.
Unfortunately, that was the best it got for Rashford, who is believed to be nursing a hip injury but, goals aside, was again not at his best, and United.
3. The least notable record in the Premier League?
We had to wait until the 27th minute of the game for the referee, Andrew Madley, to call a foul on either team.
It wasn’t a serious foul, just a routine, misplaced foot by Victor Lindelof; the kind of thing that won’t stand out on Match of the Day. Because why would he?
But after an opening in which City had dominated possession and, above all, put pressure on United, while being hit on the counterattack a couple of times and conceding Rashford’s cannon, it was nevertheless extraordinarily remarkable.
4. Haaland’s ruling
Forty-five minutes and barely a snort for Manchester City’s number 9, even as his teammates fired 17 shots at André Onana’s goal. He was then offered the 18th shot and barely missed it understandably.
It’s not that Haaland doesn’t waste chances. In fact, no one has missed more of what Opta calls “Big Chances” than the Norwegian this season, partly because, you know, he has more than anyone else. You just don’t expect him to waste opportunities like that. No Premier League striker is really expected to miss a shot from three yards. But especially not him.
“That might be the worst miss I’ve ever seen at this level,” Gary Lineker said on Twitter, with no shortage of bias from the recentness at stake. “He has to lead it. Incredible.”
However, it is something that parents everywhere will have said to their children: “I would have written that down.”
5. Was it a foul?
Moments before Foden fired one into the top corner to equalize for the champions, there was a meeting between England’s pace merchants Rashford and Kyle Walker.
Rashford looked like he might run, Walker came back in, put a hand on the United striker, who went down and appealed for a foul. A few seconds later, Foden found Onana’s top corner.
Ten Hag made his feelings clear and furiously berated the officials as City responded. He didn’t stop when Foden’s shot hit the net and saw yellow for his troubles.
So was it a foul? United supporters will probably argue yes. City fans will not agree. And who am I to convince you otherwise? Instead, I’ll let Gary Neville, the Manchester United legend commentating for Sky Sports today, say it for me.
“There is nothing in that. “He has to stand there, Marcus Rashford, and receive the ball.”
After the game, Ten Hag said: “I looked back and asked Rashy (Rashford) if there was contact – maybe soft, but there was contact.” A good place to remind everyone that football is still a contact sport and therefore contact does not automatically mean a foul.
6. Foden’s best season… now England
Foden’s delightful goal was his 17th goal in all competitions. He was soon followed by number 18, in what is now his best scoring season ever.
None of them have scored from the penalty spot, meaning that in terms of Premier League players, only Aston Villa’s Haaland (23) and Ollie Watkins (21) have found the net more in open play than the star City venue.
England manager Gareth Southgate here has a couple of interesting decisions to make ahead of Euro 2024 and perhaps the most important is where will he play Foden? Bukayo Saka has been the Three Lions boss’ first choice on the right and, along with Harry Kane, is one of the first names on the team’s roster.
That’s where Foden has been so impressive for City for much of the current campaign. Can Southgate figure out how to play both? Moving one to the left flank, where there is no such prominent candidate at the moment, seems a likely solution. But would it nullify either man’s goal threat?
7. To you Arsenal
Liverpool won at Nottingham Forest with a late Darwin Núñez goal in controversial circumstances.
Manchester City came back to take the three points here.
This season’s title race is heating up nicely. Now it’s Arsenal’s turn to respond. Can they keep up the pace?
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