Foden leads City’s fightback in Manchester derby
Phil Foden led Manchester City’s fightback after an astonishing miss by Erling Haaland for a 3-1 win over Manchester United in a one-sided derby that exposed the gulf between the two English Premier League rivals yesterday.
City trailed 1-0 at half-time after Marcus Rashford’s rasping long-range strike in the eighth minute and a glaring miss from the prolific Haaland from barely two metres out.
Foden succeeded where Haaland earlier failed, smashing in a rising drive for the equaliser in the 56th and then sweeping in a low shot in the 80th minute off Julian Alvarez’s inside pass.
“I always had the feeling he would score goals. Right now, he is winning games,” City manager Pep Guardiola said of Foden, the 23-year-old England forward, whose double took him to 17 goals this season in all competitions – a career high.
“He is the player of the season ... no one has been so decisive for us as him this season.”
Haaland still had time to atone for his miss by taking advantage of a defensive error to stroke home the third goal in stoppage time with City’s 27th shot of the match.
Haaland collapsed in mock relief following his goal – a league-high 18th of the campaign – after celebrating with Foden. The pair scored a hat-trick each in City’s 6-3 win over United last season, and they again hurt their rivals.
Second-place City moved back a point behind Liverpool with 11 games to go in a title race that looks like going to the wire. If Arsenal beat Sheffield United today as expected, the gap between the three top title contenders will be two points again.
United, meanwhile, has lost ground in the fight for Champions League qualification. With fourth-place Aston Villa and fifth-place Tottenham winning on Saturday, United are now six points back from Spurs and 11 behind Villa.
Meanwhile, Burnley’s winless run was extended to 10 games in all competitions after a 2-0 home loss against Bournemouth.
Vincent Kompany’s Burnley have not won a
game this year and will need a massive turnaround in form to avoid relegation.
Burnley are 11 points from safety and only above last-place Sheffield United on goal difference.
Justin Kluivert fired Bournemouth ahead in the 13th minute at Turf Moor, showing neat footwork in the box before flashing a shot past goalkeeper James Trafford.
Antoine Semenyo ended Burnley’s hopes of a comeback with Bournemouth’s second in the 88th.