Manchester City’s come from behind victory over their local rival Manchester United on Sunday at Etihad stadium helped them get closer to Liverpool, the front-runner, in the premier league title race. Manchester United was ahead of their arch-rival with a 1-0 lead the entire first half (till 55th minute) thanks to the 8th minute stunner by Marcus Rashford. But Phil Foden put on a show by scoring a double in the 2nd half, turning around the game for Man City and Erling Haaland added a third in stoppage time to confirm their 3rd straight Manchester derby victory.
In a captivating match-up, Pep Guardiola’s squad found themselves trailing early on to an impressive Marcus Rashford goal. However, as the game progressed, Guardiola’s team demonstrated their prowess, underscoring their exceptional abilities. On the other hand, Manchester United’s performance highlighted the considerable gap they must bridge to reach City’s level. Newly appointed United investor, Sir Jim Ratcliffe, said he wants to dethrone City ‘off their perch’. Yet, judging from the match’s outcome, such aspirations seem distant in the near future.
Ten Hag, The Manchester United manager, insisted afterward that the game was closer than it had appeared, but even the die-hard United fan would refuse to swallow his assessment after another derby disappointment.
“Really small margins. We could have scored the second goal in a debatable moment. It’s not that big [of a gap] and when we have everyone on board we can be competitive. I think also we showed in the cup final against them [last season] when it was really close but City is, at this moment, the best team in the world. Don’t forget this”, Ten Hag said.
Ten Hag pointed to a substantial injury list that includes Rasmus Højlund, Lisandro Martínez and Luke Shaw as a key reason in his decision to deploy Bruno Fernandes and Scott McTominay in unconventional forward roles. However, even against an opposition keen on defensive solidity and swift counterattacks, Manchester City exhibited a significant superiority throughout the match.
At halftime, the scoreboard favored the opposition, with Manchester United trailing 1-0, courtesy of a spectacular strike from Marcus Rashford that thundered into the net off the underside of the crossbar. However, the stark contrast in attacking statistics tells us how the first 45 minutes went – Manchester City registered a staggering 203 passes in the final third, compared to United’s meager 17. Although City had to wait until the final 10 minutes to secure their victory, their dominance was evident, culminating in a total of 27 shots on goal by the game’s end. In contrast, Manchester United managed only three attempts throughout the match.
“Football is not only about possession,” Ten Hag argued afterward. “We scored a brilliant goal but also after that the first 20 minutes we had some more opportunities. I think we defended brilliantly out of possession and the defining moments were not on our side. We were really close to get a win or at least a draw here.”
Foden’s double strike, following his memorable hat-trick performance against United at the Etihad last season, further solidified his impressive track record against City’s local rivals. He was selected ‘The Player of the Match’.
In response to Foden’s stellar display, Guardiola lauded the 23-year-old, claiming him to be the best player in the Premier League.
“What can I say? He is the best player in the Premier League right now for the amount of things he does. Unbelievable,” Guardiola said. “He is right now the best so far.
“I always had the feeling he would score goals, but now he is winning games. He’s a world class player. He lives for football, but now he is winning games”, Guardiola added.
Before Foden’s impactful performance, Haaland had missed so many easy opportunities to level the score for City particularly when he volleyed over the crossbar with an open goal before him during the first half.
Despite these missed chances, Haaland leads the race for the Premier League Golden Boot, boasting an impressive tally of 18 goals this season. He missed many chances in the recent outing against Chelsea, but he returned with a remarkable five-goal haul in the FA Cup victory over Luton Town midweek.
Reflecting on Haaland’s ability to bounce back from missed opportunities, Guardiola said that Haaland is simply proving his incredible scoring ability by being able to shrug off his misses.
“The great, great players I met, I was lucky to manage many of them, they forget [missed chances] in an instant,” Guardiola said. “They forget as quick as possible.”
Next Sunday, Manchester City will play against Liverpool at Anfield, with Jurgen Klopp’s side currently holding a one-point advantage over them at the top of the premier league table. Meanwhile, third-placed Arsenal have the opportunity to narrow the gap to just one point behind City if they secure a victory against bottom club Sheffield United at Bramall Lane on Monday.
But with the title race so tight, Guardiola said it is up to City how and where they end up this season.
“It is about us,” he said after winning the Manchester derby. “We can’t control what Liverpool or Arsenal, Aston Villa or other contenders do, it is about us. We do what we have to do to win today, next Wednesday and Sunday. This team is legendary.”