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Manchester City defeated cross-town rivals Manchester United 3-0 in the Premier League on Sunday, October 29.
The Red Devils entered this game on the back of a resurgence in their form, winning three straight games after two back-to-back defeats. Their last outing was a narrow 1-0 win over FC Copenhagen in the Champions League as Erik ten Hag looked to extend the winning run against the defending champions.
The Cityzens, on the other hand, had the exact similar record as United across their last five games. Their last outing was a comfortable 3-1 away win against Young Boys in the CL. Pep Guardiola went with a strong lineup for this game.
Manchester City made a dominant start to the game and put Manchester United on the back foot with their possession-play. With 61% possession, the visitors created several chances but had to rely on a set-piece situation to grab a deserved lead midway through the first period.
Rasmus Hojlund and Rodri jostled for the ball as the Dane pushed the Spaniard off it and a penalty was given to Manchester City. Erling Haaland stepped up to score a comfortable goal to put his team 1-0 up after 26 minutes.
With not much going their way, Manchester United ended the first half trailing by one goal.
City wasted no time in increasing their lead after the restart as Bernardo Silva assisted Haaland for his second goal of the game with a lovely pass. The Norwegian then turned provider himself, setting up Phil Foden for a straightforward goal to make it 3-0 in the 80th minute.
Manchester United had 39% of the ball and just one shot on target in a rather disappointing second half as they struggled to get going in the final third.
The visitors secured a dominant win and on that note, let's take a look at the five major talking points from the game.
#5. Manchester City were awarded a rather soft penalty
Having already made a good start to the game, Manchester City were handed a welcome boost midway through the first period after they were awarded a penalty.
Manchester United striker Rasmus Hojlund seemed to be holding onto Rodri and impeding his movement in the 18-yard box and the VAR stepped in to confirm the decision in City's favor. However, several pundits and fans expressed their views at the decision being too harsh on United.
There was little contact between Hojlund and Rodri but the Spaniard made the most of it and won the decision.
#4. Erling Haaland continues in his goalscoring ways
Haaland stepped up to convert a simple first-half penalty in the 26th minute and doubled his tally early in the second half. He latched onto a pass by Bernardo and converted with aplomb to make it 2-0 after 49 minutes to put Manchester City in the driving seat of the contest.
Prior to this game, Haaland had bagged nine goals and one assist and played a key role in the game to get his team over the line in dominant fashion. He was named the man of the match for his stellar performance.
#3. Manchester United are struggling for consistency
Despite earning some decent results over the last few weeks, it is clear as day to anybody watching that this United team needs some work to be put in to improve their cohesion.
Manchester United secured some uplifting wins with late goals in the bygone gameweeks against smaller sides but have continued to struggled to hold their own against bigger teams. This was apparent today as Manchester City kept the ball for nearly two-thirds of the game and essentially played United off the park.
Should they harbor any hopes of making it back into the Champions League next year, the Red Devils will have to sort themselves out soon.
#2. Midfield revamp a priority for Erik ten Hag
Having made makeshift signings in the form of Sofyan Amrabat and Casemiro, ten Hag will need to dive into the transfer market yet again. Not to forget, Manchester United also signed Mason Mount from Chelsea for a reported £60 million - a fee which he has yet to justify.
However, despite these acquisitions, the quality of the midfield has not improved much and United still struggle to assert themselves in games across competitions.
In order to inject some life and passion into the squad, the Dutchman will have to pick his XI based on efforts in training and also not allow any complacency to creep into the team.
#1. Manchester City climb up to third place with the win
Having temporarily fallen as low as fifth place prior to kick-off, the 3-0 win sees the Cityzens climb up to third place in the Premier League table.
They trail North London pairing of Spurs (26 pts) and Arsenal (24 pts, goal difference) after 10 gameweeks of the ongoing campaign.
