Manchester City vs. Manchester United score: Erling Haaland, Phil Foden record hat tricks to crush Red Devils

Hat tricks from Erling Haaland and Phil Foden lifted Manchester City to an emphatic 6-3 win over Manchester United on Sunday in Premier League action. City were in full flow from start to finish as Bernardo Silva and Kevin de Bruyne carved the United team apart, setting up the attack to feast in the Manchester derby. 

The Red Devils would get a consolation goal in the second half via Antony, but it wouldn’t be enough to spark a comeback when they were already behind by four heading into the break. Cristiano Ronaldo began the match on the bench and remained there as an unused substitute. Anthony Martial scored two late goals for the visitors, one being a penalty kick.

Haaland now has 14 Premier League goals as he takes his scoring streak in all competitions to eight consecutive matches for City. The Norway international has also now become the first player to score a hat trick in three consecutive home matches in league history. City stand alone as the only team in the league without a loss and move within one point behind Arsenal in the league table. The nine goals in the match also make this the highest scoring Manchester derby in history.

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Jack Grealish may not have registered a goal or an assist in the match but his dribbles created chaos for Manchester United. Drawing Diogo Dalot into a yellow card less than two minutes into the match, Grealish ensured that he and Foden would have plenty of space to operate with the defender being cautious while giving the United fullbacks fits. City’s opener came via Dalot’s side as he couldn’t get tight enough to an attacker due to already being on a yellow.

Tyrell Malacia also received a yellow card for bringing down Foden within 25 minutes and ended up getting hooked at halftime for Luke Shaw. Pep Guardiola won’t be happy that his team lost the clean sheet in the second half but both of Martial’s goals came after City made four substitutions, so the score does flatter United in a flat performance.

Here are a few takeaways from the match:

Hat trick Haaland

With 14 goals in eight league matches for Manchester City, Haaland is now on pace for 66 league goals which is unlike anything that we’ve ever seen. While it’s unlikely that he’ll reach that target because as more matches pass, City will likely take control of the title race, he could come close to breaking the record for most goals in a Premier League season before the World Cup. 

Andrew Cole and Alan Shearer scored the most goals in a 42-match season with 34 while Mohamed Salah has the record for a 38-match season with 32, but it might not matter. The record for Premier League goals in a debut season is also 30 which Haaland is almost halfway to matching in only eight games. With 30 more to go, it seems like all he needs to do is stay healthy and records will fall. Looking around the league, Haaland has also scored more goals than 14 teams while also equalling Brighton’s output on the season.

Can’t judge a team against Manchester City 

A derby loss always hurts but City have been brushing teams to the side as their plus-20 goal difference is eight goals better than Arsenal’s plus-12. United boss Erik ten Hag will need to make changes to his defense, but he can’t take this as a match that says everything needs to change as City are a different breed. 

The team was better with Casemiro on the pitch and this can spark him being included from the start of matches instead of coming off the bench. Martial’s brace will also be promising as he offers an alternative option to Jadon Sancho, who only created two chances and lost the ball on each of his dribbles in the match. Depth is a necessity for Manchester United and as the team gets healthier, ten Hag will have chances to make changes to instill his style in upcoming matches.

The xG battle is more flattering to Manchester United as City won that by 3.37 to 1.72 but for a pressing team, only winning six tackles and allowing 22 shots can’t be acceptable. It starts with midfield but a loss to Manchester City isn’t one that says everything needs to change because they do this to most teams in the Premier League.

Losing Kyle Walker may hurt

A linchpin in City’s defensive setup, right back Kyle Walker was withdrawn in the 41st minute after suffering an injury and was replaced by Sergio Gomez. Walker has been an important part of City’s attack by helping orchestrate the buildup while he also keeps the defense steady as the center-back partnerships rotate around him. City allowed all three goals without him on the pitch with one being a penalty conceded by Joao Cancelo filling in on his side of the pitch. The severity of Walker’s injury is unknown at the moment but with Rodri injured, Aymeric Laporte just returning to fitness and John Stones also hurt, Guardiola could be down to bare bones in defense ahead of playing four matches in the next 11 days. The last match of that run is an away trip to Liverpool as well so Guardiola may want some bubble wrap for his team.