Manchester City secured a dominant 3-0 victory over rivals Manchester United in a fiercely contested Premier League derby at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday. The win saw Phil Foden open the scoring, followed by a brace from prolific striker Erling Haaland, further cementing City's resurgence in the league.

The match began with Manchester United showing early intent, creating openings that tested City's new goalkeeper, Gianluigi Donnarumma, who made a crucial save from Benjamin Sesko's shot. However, City soon took control, with Phil Foden heading in the opener from Jeremy Doku’s cross. Erling Haaland then doubled City's lead, finishing a well-worked team goal in his 150th appearance for Pep Guardiola’s side. Despite hitting the woodwork early in the second half, Haaland sealed the 3-0 victory in the 68th minute, tucking away a chance set up by Bernardo Silva.

Ruben Amorim, the Manchester United manager, expressed his frustration following the defeat, attributing the loss to his side conceding 'avoidable goals'. Speaking to BBC Match of the Day, Amorim lamented: “If you look at the goals, we can avoid those goals. That was the biggest difference. We suffered goals we can avoid.” He particularly highlighted issues with the second and third goals, noting a 'lack of quality in the connection' and a lack of aggression for the first goal. Amorim stressed the need for perfection in such high-stakes games, acknowledging that United 'were not perfect' and were left frustrated by their inability to convert chances. He concluded by emphasizing the need for significant improvement in preparation for their next fixture.

Former Manchester United captain Roy Keane was full of praise for Manchester City, singling out Erling Haaland, Phil Foden, and debutant goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma for their performances. On Sky Sports, Keane remarked, “Manchester City were very good. It was a big day for Haaland. It was important for Foden to get a goal and it was a good debut for the goalkeeper.” He suggested that the international break provided a timely 'reset' for City, giving them a 'different feel' and deeming it an 'important win and an important statement' for the club.

Despite the emphatic victory, Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola urged his players to continue improving. Guardiola celebrated the privilege of bringing 'joy and some moments of happiness' to the fans through the derby win, noting that his players were 'so aggressive' and performed 'like a machine'. This win marked only City's second victory of the campaign, following an opening 4-0 win over Wolves and subsequent back-to-back defeats against Tottenham and Brighton. Looking ahead to their Champions League clash with Napoli, Guardiola called for 'greater spirit' and for his team to be 'less naïve', acknowledging past 'poor' performances in certain aspects but praising the existing team spirit and captaincy.

The win allowed Manchester City to move up to eighth position in the Premier League with six points, ending their run of two consecutive defeats. Conversely, the struggling Manchester United side, under increasing pressure, slid to 14th position, having won only twice in their last 12 EPL matches and just once in four this season. In other league action on the same day, Liverpool maintained their perfect start to the season and returned to the top of the table with 12 points after four matches, securing a 1-0 victory over Burnley with a last-gasp Mohamed Salah penalty kick.