Erling Haaland is nine goals away from last seasons golden boot winning total. There are 30 games left to play. The terminator netted his third hat-trick on the bounce at the Etihad, taking his tally to 17 goals in all competitions by October 2nd.
Phil Foden also joined the hat-trick party as Manchester City routed Manchester United 6-3 in the highest-ever scoring Manchester derby.
Despite missing some key players, City looked at their dazzling best. No matter who plays, everyone knows their role perfectly.
Pep Guardiolas men were all over United from the start, dominating possession and creating chance after chance. When City worked the ball into the final third, they felt unstoppable.
The Red Devils were not switched on to begin the game. Against Liverpool, you could feel the intensity and desire from the first whistle. It instantly felt that it was going to be their day. Pressing, chasing down scraps and winning challenges to set the tone. They failed to demonstrate this in the derby. They looked lethargic and made it easy for City to control the tempo early on.
“If you don’t fight — which we didn’t — you are going to have a problem against Manchester City. This is different to Brentford, that day we didn’t run. Today we wanted to run but there was a lack of belief. declared a frustrated Erik ten Hag after the game.
This tactical analysis highlights the key tactics deployed by City in Sundays frantic Manchester derby. The analysis delves into how City used their centre-backs to move up the field, exploited gaps in Uniteds midfield and thrashed their neighbors using their Norwegian monster.
Lineups
With Rodri suffering a late setback in training, İlkay Gündoğan started as the deep-lying midfielder. Manuel Akanji and Nathan Aké lined up at centre-back, raising a few eyebrows before the game. The pair performed superbly and played a significant part in Citys win.
Erik ten Hag named an unchanged team from the win against Arsenal last month. After four straight league wins, the Dutch manager stuck to his in-form men, leaving out Cristiano Ronaldo and Casemiro once more. Anthony Martial recovered from an Achilles injury to make the United bench.
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