Manchester City hit rivals Manchester United for six on a near-perfect day at the Etihad Stadium.
Lifelong City fan Phil Foden opened the scoring just minutes into the game before Erling Haaland inevitably got in on the act with two goals and set up Foden’s second.
Despite a consolation goal from Antony, both Foden and Haaland completed hat-tricks after the break before Anthony Martial scored two late goals to restore some semblance of respectability to the scoreline.
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Here’s what we learned from a derby demolition…
Haaland Changes Everything
We already knew this, but it’s been nothing short of incredible how quickly Erling Haaland has found his feet in the Premier League.
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In an incomparable all-round performance (a hat-trick and two assists, enough to make any Fantasy Football player weep) the standout moment to me was his second goal, probably the pick of the bunch.
Kevin De Bruyne looked up, saw Haaland and played an excellent ball into the back post. In previous years he wouldn’t have even attempted that pass - there was no way a forward of average height like Raheem Sterling or Gabriel Jesus could have stretched to meet that ball and convert it. With Haaland in the team, De Bruyne is getting the kind of assists possible only when your striker is a 6’5” super-athlete with an impeccable instinct for positioning.
Foden’s Finest Performance?
There are a fair few contenders, but it could be argued that Phil Foden had his best ever Manchester City game in this derby. The winger was on fire, finishing with the kind of brazen confidence that made him such an exciting youngster.
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While Haaland just edges him out for Man of the Match in my eyes (after all, Foden’s first ever City hat-trick wouldn’t have been possible without Haaland’s two assists), it’s an exciting implication that Foden’s focus may be about to switch back to scoring goals.
His third was another smart finish that screamed of a player in top form.
It’s ideal timing: we lost a lot of wide goal threat in Sterling and Jesus, so Foden will need to help make up for that by chipping in even more.
Gundogan’s Nostalgic Throwback
I often say it’s a thinly-veiled curse that City have three of the best creative midfielders in the league and (usually) only space to play two of them at once.
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One exception to that rule is when Gundogan is asked to fill in as a defensive midfielder, as was the case today.
The German international proved crucial in that role towards the end of the 2018/19 title-winning campaign, but would probably be the first to admit that his later inclusion over Rodri in the Champions League final was ill-advised at best.
Luckily, Sunday was one of those days when it just worked.
Gundogan - for my money the most underrated player in England - pulled the strings from deep and looked (along with the excellent Bernardo Silva) a class above every United midfielder.
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His usual knack for scoring in big games was put on the back burner, but it’s good to know Gundogan in that position is still an option if Rodri (and Kalvin Phillips) is unavailable for any length of time.
Pep’s Selection Dilemma
On paper, having five top-class centre-backs in the same squad seems like overkill, with all five senior City central defenders getting regular minutes for their national teams and none likely to settle for a pure backup role. But injuries to key players have created opportunities for others.
Forming the surprise partnership against United, Nathan Aké and - particularly - Manuel Akanji did more than enough to justify their selection.
It wasn’t until the defence was reshuffled that City started to leak goals, while Akanji still hasn’t shown any sign of the error-prone reputation he brought with him from Germany.
When everyone is fit and ready to play, it’s hard to see the Swiss defender getting dropped. It will be interesting to see what Pep settles on after Christmas.
The Gap is as Big as Ever
The most striking thing about this thrashing is that it hardly registers as a surprise anymore.
United’s demise has been well-documented since Sir Alex Ferguson departed and, though they’ve had a few encouraging results in recent weeks, it’s telling that a 6-3 drubbing is barely considered unusual in a Manchester Derby anymore.
Just think how often City fans bring up the 6-1 at Old Trafford eleven years ago - will we still be talking about this win as much in a decade?
Probably not, because City have become so dominant in Manchester that the element of shock has completely vanished from these big scorelines.
It was especially pleasing to see City win comfortably at Old Trafford, which has typically been a fairly happy hunting ground for United. What I’m trying to say is this: even if they’ve managed to bag a competent manager and a couple of good signings, the days of United being genuine title challengers are still some years away from a return.
The question for now is whether Arsenal start dropping points any time soon.
If not, it may fall to Haaland, who’s been compared to Thanos a few times lately, to say “Fine, I’ll do it myself” when City visit the Emirates later this season…
Featured Image Credit: News Images LTD/AlamyTopics: Manchester City, Manchester United, Premier League, Erling Haaland, Phil Foden, Ilkay Gundogan, Pep Guardiola
