Foden solidifies his position as Man City’s new main player and changes the future of Man Utd.

The Manchester derby has piqued the interest of people around the world, but there was a distinctly local vibe as Mancunians added to the excitement. In addition to Manchester City’s 3-1 victory over Manchester United, Stockport also defeated Wythenshawe 2-1. Despite the high cost of assembling their squads, three goals were scored by players from the city of Manchester. While City can also claim Erling Haaland as their own, as he was born after his father joined them, it was Phil Foden who sealed the win with his two goals, including a sixth derby goal for himself.

United had a promising start to the day and showed a great performance, but ultimately ended with the expected loss.

Academy players produced impressive goals in the form of striking shots from Marcus Rashford and Foden, creating a fierce competition between the two. Foden’s second goal solidified City’s lead and brought them closer to their fourth consecutive title, an achievement that even Sir Alex Ferguson never attained. Additionally, this loss for United makes it unlikely that they will join City in the Champions League next year. While they may blame other games for their position, being eleven points away from fourth place brings their season closer to disappointment.

City will have the opportunity to be at the top of the standings when they face Liverpool at Anfield next Sunday, after securing their 17th victory in 19 games across all competitions. It will be an intense match against Liverpool, but Foden’s impressive performance helped City defeat United.

For 48 minutes, Haaland’s goal-scoring streak ended when he made a mistake and missed an open goal, while United’s defense played well enough to potentially change the outcome of the game in favor of coach Erik ten Hag. However, it was Foden who ultimately changed the dynamics of the title race and possibly even the direction of United’s future.

This was another illustration he is a player of genuine stature now, a talismanic force. The talents at City are such that it is possible to cruise along in their slipstream, but Foden has often assumed the responsibility for powering City forward this season. This was a display to remember when the individual honours are allocated.

This campaign has been the most successful and fruitful one of his career thus far. His tally of 18 goals could potentially lead to him securing his sixth Premier League title.

He performed a magical feat by creating something from nothing just when it appeared that City was running out of ideas. He released a powerful strike, perfectly placing the ball into the top corner of the United goal from a distance of 25 yards. Prior to this, he had been the main threat for City, forcing Andre Onana to make two excellent saves. He quickly followed up his fifth goal in a Manchester derby with a sixth one. After Jeremy Doku’s substitution, Foden moved to the left side and charged into the box, finishing with a shot that went past Onana’s reach.

Unfortunately for United, their performance ended with an embarrassing mistake. Although they had improved in terms of error management throughout the majority of the game, their concentration and organization has been subpar this season. This was exemplified in added time when a mistake was made. The two defensive midfielders also had very different outcomes, with Rodri remaining unbeaten in City’s colors for over a year while Sofyan Amrabat, who has been a disastrous signing, was robbed and allowed Haaland to score his sixth goal in two games.

City have now gone 36 consecutive games without a loss at home, and have a record of 19 wins at any location. As has happened before, they faced a difficult challenge. This marks the 12th instance in the Premier League where City has let in the first goal, revealing a vulnerability to fast-paced attacks that is a strength for their opponent, United.

Rashford scored a powerful goal from 25 yards out, hitting the underside of the crossbar. Despite previous criticism of his dedication and body language, this was a strong performance from Rashford. His sixth goal of the season serves as a reminder of his explosive and thrilling playing style.

It was also a recognition for Ten Hag, who chose to play him on the left side instead of Bruno Fernandes at a false nine position. The team’s captain, Rashford, received Onana’s long kick forward and set up a scoring opportunity. In the first half, Fernandes was all over the pitch, both creating chances and defending. He is not as likely to appear on City’s TikTok as he did on Fulham’s. However, Rashford had a chance to score a second goal for United, which he did not take advantage of. Ten Hag believed that he was fouled moments before Foden scored the equalizer, resulting in a yellow card for throwing a water bottle in frustration. Nevertheless, his argument did not hold much weight.

However, his team demonstrated persistence with Jonny Evans and Raphael Varane adding wisdom, while Ten Hag’s squad appeared more organized than usual. Onana made two impressive saves from Foden and blocked Rodri’s volley. Overall, United managed the first half with relative ease. Then, there was an incredible missed opportunity as Haaland failed to score from four yards out, hooking the ball over the goal when Foden had crossed it into the box. The expected goals value for this shot was 0.89, making it a seemingly guaranteed goal, yet he still missed it.

Onana was having an exceptional performance in the United goal, until he let in Foden’s second goal. Despite getting a hand on it, he maybe could have prevented it. Therefore, Ten Hag’s 100th game as manager of United ended in a loss. He currently holds the record for highest win percentage among United managers, but the overall score for the season is 6-1 with a 18-point gap between the two rival teams.

Source: independent.co.uk