Should Manchester City go on to win a fourth successive Premier League title at the end of this season, possibly nobody will have contributed more to a record achievement than Phil Foden. The City forward is having a season to remember and he proved the difference again here.
Foden’s two goals turned this Manchester derby City’s way and ensured that next weekend’s meeting with Liverpool at Anfield will be an even more hyped affair. One point separates the pair at the top of the league standings and whoever wins will have the upper hand in the title race.
Yet, that is for seven days time. Now, we should simply applaud another key intervention from Foden.
The 23-year-old now has 28 goal involvements this season — 18 goals, which is his best return, and 10 assists — and this was another fine performance in front of England manager Gareth Southgate. Foden must be central to his country’s plans in the forthcoming European Championship.
He fired a superbly curled strike into the top corner to level the scores on 56 minutes and dispatched a precise low finish 10 minutes before the end. But it was the little details, too, such as him tracking back to rob the Manchester United substitute, Antony, late on that had Pep Guardiola applauding wildly. Foden was on another level.
Erling Haaland, who squandered a gilt-edged chance at the end of the first half, scored City’s third in second-half stoppage time. That Guardiola’s side were behind at all was rather remarkable — in more ways than one.
City were in utter control both before and after United took the lead. Marcus Rashford’s thunderbolt strike eight minutes into the derby stunned the Etihad Stadium. It was some way for the United player to respond to his critics and end a run of six games without a goal.
From then until City equalised, United rode their luck, deployed a game-plan that involved getting plenty of players behind the ball and were grateful to Andre Onana for a handful of saves. It would not prove enough.
This was no humiliation for Erik ten Hag’s team, who suffered a 6-3 loss here last season, but they again lost ground on the top four places, which remain 11 points ahead of them with time running out after a second successive league defeat.
Story of the game
The first half had fell United's way too. They allowed City to do the work with the ball, sat off them in a compact block and yet still went in at the break with the lead. Ten Hag had switched formation in order to bolster numbers in midfield and each of his players had to put in a defensive shift.
Crowding out central areas was clearly the plan along with preventing City from finding spaces where Guardiola’s side usually locate them. Performing such a containment job was made easier when United grabbed the lead and had something to hold on to.
The visitors had barely ventured forward before Onana sent a clearance up the inside left channel to Bruno Fernandes on eight minutes. The United captain held the ball up well despite having Ruben Dias touch-tight to him.
Fernandes laid the ball back to Rashford who ran onto the pass and fired an unstoppable shot from 25 yards that clipped the underside of Ederson’s crossbar and went in. Rashford’s sixth goal of the season was a breathtaking hit and sent the travelling supporters into a frenzy.
United had not triumphed here since March 2021 and Rashford could have scored a second when he tried to attack Scott McTominay’s whipped cross with a volley at the back post but missed the ball and a very good chance went begging.
Rashford had also been close to pouncing on a Kyle Walker slip when Onana again launched up-field but a mixture of poor control and the City defender racing back saw the opportunity come to nothing.
Those forays forward were few and far between, though, as City dominated but could not unlock a packed United defence. With Jonny Evans starting his first away Manchester derby since December 2012 in place of the injured Harry Maguire, this was United’s 21st different defensive lineup across their 27 league games this season.
They were certainly tested. Onana saved well from Foden after he turned quickly in the United penalty area and dispatched an effort. The United goalkeeper smothered another Foden chance by spreading himself when one-on-one.
Play was almost entirely in United’s defensive third and when Raphael Varane only half-cleared Kevin De Bruyne’s delivery, Rodri latched onto the rebound but his fizzing shot was pushed aside by Onana.
City’s greatest chance of the opening period would come on the cusp of halftime and lead to audible gasps amongst the home gallery. Foden was picked out and headed the ball back across goal where Haaland, from three yards out and with an empty net ahead, somehow lifted it over the crossbar. The ‘expected goals’ of that miss was 0.89, which is better than a penalty.
Would Guardiola’s team get a better chance of a goal than that? Probably not, but they carried on as before and were soon rewarded.
United remained pinned back in a deep defensive shape and neither De Bruyne and Rodri were put under any pressure as they weighed up their options on the edge of the area. It came to Foden and he moved the ball onto his left foot and curled a wonderful shot into the top corner.
That superb strike into the same top corner that Rashford filled lifted the crowd and, with 30 minutes still to play, they sensed a winner — but patience was key.
Guardiola sent on Julian Alvarez and, in the 80th minute, he played his part in City’s second goal. Foden picked up the ball deep and played it to the substitute on the edge of the area. Foden continued his run, was picked out by Alvarez and then dispatched a shot into the far bottom corner for his sixth goal in a Manchester derby.
With City leading for the first time, some may have said normal service was resumed. But that only really happened once Haaland had scored his goal. De Bruyne had already sent a shot narrowly wide of Onana’s post and then Rodri dispossessed substitute Sofyan Amrabat with Alvarez slipping in Haaland who made no mistake with the finish.
Player of the match: Phil Foden
Scored a brace to take his tally for the season to 18 goals and the manner in which he took both of his finishes were superb: one high and hard, the other low and caressed.
It was a fine overall display from Foden too. He was involved in all facets of City's play and his tracking back also underlined his willingness to defend.
