Haaland sinks Man Utd with controversial goal
by KickOff Reporter · KickOffManchester City claimed the bragging rights in the Manchester derby with a 1-0 win over rivals Manchester United at Old Trafford on Sunday evening.
Premier League
Teams: Manchester United v Manchester City
Result: 0-1
Scorers: Haaland (60')
The city of Manchester once again came to a stand-still as its flagship clubs squared up, with the Red Devils out to derail the Cityzens' winning momentum and build on their UEFA Champions League opening victory over Sabah FK on Thursday.
City, howvever, were reduced to ten men at the midway point of the first half after Phil Foden lashed out at Bruno Fernandes in an uncharacteristic manner and gave referee Michael Oliver no choice but to brandish a red card.
With little separating the fierce rivals, the Red Devils went inches away to the lead when a promising free-kick by Marcos Rashford from outside the area dinked over the wall and crashed against the upright.
Second Half:
Following the conclusion of halftime, City boss Enzo Maresca turned to the substitutes bench and summoned in Iliman Ndiaye in the place of Rayan Cherki.
The host created another opening five minutes into the second half when a powerful long-range shot by Kobbie Mainoo hit the post and bounced off Gianluigi Donnarumma before going into touch.
Norwegian striker Erling Haaland made the opening in the 60th minute after he capitalised on a square ball to the far post by Josko Gvardiol and tucked in the top corner with the goal awarded after a Video Assistant Referee (VAR) review.
Haaland’s impact continued eight minutes later and collected possession to teed-up Enzo Fernandez to unleash a long-range shot, but Senne Lammens palmed it onto the upright.
The Red Devils went in a desperate search for the equaliser and were inches away in the last second through a point-blank shot by Bryan Mbeumo in the area, but Donnarumma palmed away and helped the Cityzens record victory to maintain their winning start.
Upcoming Fixtures:
Manchester United:
1. Brighton and Hove Albion (H)
2. Fulham (A)
3. Tottenham Hotspur (H)
4. Atletico Madrid (A)
5. Leeds United (A)
Manchester City:
1. Norwich City (A)
2. Sunderland (H)
3. Liverpool (A)
4. Paris Saint-Germain (H)
5. Ipswich Town (A)