Haaland Scores Twice as Man City Dominates Man United with 3-0 Win

Erling Haaland of Manchester City reacts after the English Premier League match between Manchester United and Manchester City in Manchester, Britain, 29 October 2023. (EPA)
Erling Haaland of Manchester City reacts after the English Premier League match between Manchester United and Manchester City in Manchester, Britain, 29 October 2023. (EPA)
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Haaland Scores Twice as Man City Dominates Man United with 3-0 Win

Erling Haaland of Manchester City reacts after the English Premier League match between Manchester United and Manchester City in Manchester, Britain, 29 October 2023. (EPA)
Erling Haaland of Manchester City reacts after the English Premier League match between Manchester United and Manchester City in Manchester, Britain, 29 October 2023. (EPA)

Erling Haaland scored twice and set up another goal as Manchester City beat Manchester United 3-0 in the Premier League on Sunday to again showcase the gap between the teams.

Defending champion City put in a dominant performance at Old Trafford in the 191st Manchester derby to add to the growing pressure on United manager Erik ten Hag.

This was United's seventh loss of the season in all competitions and leaves it 11 points adrift of leader Tottenham in the league.

City's win moved it within two points of the top of the standings.

Haaland scored a first-half penalty and doubled the visitors' lead with a header shortly after halftime.

He then provided the cross for Phil Foden to complete the scoring and prompt United fans to leave the stadium early.

Haaland has now scored 13 goals in all competitions this season and might have had more if not for the efforts of United goalkeeper Andre Onana, who produced a number of saves to keep City at bay.

City went ahead in the 26th minute from the penalty spot after referee Paul Tierney reviewed a pull by Rasmus Hojlund on Rodri in the box.

Haaland stepped up and sent Onana the wrong way by firing low to the right.

By then Onana had already denied Foden from scoring with a header and then scrambled the ball away from Haaland before he could convert the rebound. The goalkeeper also pushed away Jack Grealish's low, curling shot from outside the area.

United threatened on the break, but failed to make the most of promising openings for Scott McTominay and twice for Hojlund.

In first-half stoppage time McTominay came closest to finding a goal for United with a spinning shot on the edge of the box that was blocked by Ederson.

Haaland then nearly doubled City's lead with a close-range header that forced an acrobatic save from Onana.

He didn't have to wait long for his second, which came four minutes after the break with a powerful header from Bernardo Silva's cross.

Rashford raced beyond City's defense in search of a goal to pull United back into the game, but fired narrowly wide from an angle.

Onana then denied Haaland a hat-trick goal when one-on-one with the striker.

Haaland turned provider in the 80th when squaring for Foden to score from close range.

Before kickoff both teams had come together to commemorate United great Bobby Charlton, who died earlier this month. Past players from both sides of the city entered the field to join in a moment of applause.

In one stand United fans were invited to raise white paper that read out “Sir Bobby” in giant lettering. Elsewhere a huge banner was unfurled with a picture of him lifting the European Cup trophy in 1968.



Dias Injury Latest Blow in Manchester City's Calamitous Run

Soccer Football - Premier League - Manchester City v Manchester United - Etihad Stadium, Manchester, Britain - December 15, 2024 Manchester United's Rasmus Hojlund in action with Manchester City's Ruben Dias Action Images via Reuters/Jason Cairnduff
Soccer Football - Premier League - Manchester City v Manchester United - Etihad Stadium, Manchester, Britain - December 15, 2024 Manchester United's Rasmus Hojlund in action with Manchester City's Ruben Dias Action Images via Reuters/Jason Cairnduff
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Dias Injury Latest Blow in Manchester City's Calamitous Run

Soccer Football - Premier League - Manchester City v Manchester United - Etihad Stadium, Manchester, Britain - December 15, 2024 Manchester United's Rasmus Hojlund in action with Manchester City's Ruben Dias Action Images via Reuters/Jason Cairnduff
Soccer Football - Premier League - Manchester City v Manchester United - Etihad Stadium, Manchester, Britain - December 15, 2024 Manchester United's Rasmus Hojlund in action with Manchester City's Ruben Dias Action Images via Reuters/Jason Cairnduff

Manchester City will be without defender Ruben Dias for three to four weeks with a muscle injury, manager Pep Guardiola said on Friday, another blow for the reeling champions whose hopes of hanging on to the Premier League title are dwindling.

City travel to Aston Villa on Saturday hoping to right the ship amid the worst run of results in Guardiola's managerial career that has them languishing fifth in the league table. They also have just one victory to show for their last 11 games across all competitions.

Dias was injured in City's calamitous 2-1 derby loss to Manchester United on Sunday, Reuters reported.

"It was a muscular injury, (after) 75 minutes against Manchester United he felt something. He is so strong and he stayed on the pitch and now he is injured," Guardiola told reporters on Friday.

Fellow defender Manuel Akanji, however, returned to training this week after suffering an injury early this month, "which is good for us," Guardiola said.

City lost to United in spectacular fashion last weekend, leading in the 88th minute before their cross-town rivals scored two goals in less than two minutes.

Guardiola looked disconsolate after, and pointed the finger squarely at himself for the shocking run, telling reporters during a long and heartfelt post-game press conference that "I am not good enough."

His mood had improved by Friday.

"I just finished a game where we were close to winning and we lost. For the sequences that happened I was not happy," Guardiola said. "I tried to be honest with myself here right now in six or seven days ago, (but) if you fall down six times you have to stand up seven.

"I am fine. I am a normal person with feelings like all of us. When a situation is going well we are better and when it is not going well professionally we are more (focused) on what we have to do."

Just two points and two places behind Guardiola's team in the league table, Aston Villa will climb over City with a victory on Saturday at Villa Park.

Unai Emery's team have also had significantly more success than City in their Champions League campaign, where they are fifth in the standings with two games left in the league phase while City are languishing in 22nd.

"I'm not surprised. Top, excellent manager. (They had good success) qualifying for the Champions League and the results in the Champions League they speak for themselves," Guardiola said. "They are handling it well because when I have been in many clubs handling both competitions, they have done really well."

City lost 1-0 at Villa Park just over a year ago before rebounding to thrash Emery's side 4-1 in early-April. Guardiola said, however, there was little he could glean from those games.

"Why do you have to compare what happened?" the Spaniard said. "The past is the past, this is a new moment, you have to deal with it."