City Routes United at Manchester Derby

By Krishna Kosaraju, Staff Reporter, The Pawprint

If Sunday’s Manchester derby was remarkable for anything, it was for how lopsided and uncompetitive it was rather than merely the goals that were scored! In the highest-scoring Manchester derby in history, Manchester City thrashed Manchester United 6-3 at the Etihad Stadium.

The six goals scored by City were all made by Erling Haaland and Phil Foden, who each had a hat trick. Right winger Antony and striker Anthony Martial tried their best to save United from being completely humiliated, combining to score 3 goals, but it was too late. Foden scored his first career hat-trick during this game while following his exploits against Crystal Palace and Nottingham Forest, Haaland established a new record in the Premier League by becoming the first player to score a hat-trick in three straight home games. Haaland has scored 14 goals this season, which is more goals than 14 teams in the Premier League itself! He continues to demonstrate that maybe, just maybe, he may break some Premier League records this year.

In his post-game analysis, Pep Guardiola took a subtle shot at Manchester United, claiming that his Manchester City team “could’ve scored more.” In a game where they outscored United by 3 goals. Guardiola is notorious for making sly remarks about other clubs, coaches, and players, and his post-game response was no exception. The Spaniard claimed that despite his team’s six outstanding goals, they were sloppy and had the potential to do far better. Pep’s words follow the triumph: “Perfection doesn’t exist, it’s impossible. But we must try to look there. We did good, we can do better, and many, many players had sloppy passes. This is not good. We have to be more consistent. In some areas, we were still not good.”

Ten Hag, the manager of Manchester United, is the sixth United coach since the legendary Sir Alex Ferguson retired to suffer a loss in his first derby. However, his setback was more severe than any previous United manager. The Dutchman entered the game as the Premier League’s manager of the month. Still, any celebrations were cut short by a painful day for United in the league’s highest-ever scoring total. The United Manager did not hold back while discussing his feelings over the embarrassing 6-3 loss, a score that devastated the Red Devils due to two late consolation goals and City resting players after a clear victory. It’s telling that the criticism of his players focused on their mindset rather than their skill. Ten Hag attributed their lack of bravery to a lack of belief and called it “unacceptable.”

Fans will evaluate what type of season their side could have in store as the Premier League narrative starts to form. Can United bounce back? Will City maintain its seeming dominance over the Premier League? Only time will tell.