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Manchester United were defeated 6-3 by Manchester City in the Premier League on Sunday, October 2. The win saw City remain in second place with 20 points from eight games.
Manchester United came into this contest on the back of four wins and two losses in their six games. Their last two scheduled fixtures against Crystal Palace and Leeds United were postponed due to the mourning period for Queen Elizabeth II.
Erik ten Hag's men secured a 3-1 win over Arsenal in their last league game. He welcomed Marcus Rashford back to the starting XI after missing their last couple of games through injury.
Manchester United made a slow start to the game and were forced to drop deep into their own half as Manchester City dominated possession. The hosts' front five were on-song as they ran riot in the first half.
Bernardo Silva provided an assist for City's opener, with Phil Foden tucking it in to make it 1-0 after eight minutes. Kevin De Bruyne then provided a pair of assists for Erling Haaland in the space of three minutes towards the end of the half to make it 3-0. The Norwegian then bagged an assist of his own, setting up Foden for his brace.
Manchester City attempted 15 shots in the first half, with seven of them on target, as they kept 62% possession in the first period. After dominating in nearly every aspect, City led 4-0 at the interval.
There was a clear drop in Manchester City's intensity as they came out to play for the second half. The visitors made one change as Luke Shaw came on for Tyrell Malacia. Due to City's lethargic and complacent play, United managed to score a goal, albeit as consolation.
Christian Eriksen rolled the ball to Antony, who smashed in an effort from long-range to make it 4-1 after 56 minutes. However, their happiness was short-lived as the hosts scored two more goals to put the result well beyond doubt. Haaland and Foden both completed their hat-tricks, sealing a sensational result for Manchester City.
Anthony Martial then came on and salvaged two goals for Manchester United, but in vain. City held on to secure a huge win. That said, let's take a look at the five hits and flops from the game.
#5. Hit - Manchester City's wingers
Manchester City made excellent use of wide areas as they pushed forward mainly from the flanks in the first period. Their approach resulted in Jack Grealish and Phil Foden finding themselves in acres of space to cross the ball. Their smart dribbling ability resulted in both of Manchester United's full-backs being booked in the first period itself.
Foden had a great game as he scored two goals having made runs towards the far post. Grealish looked like his old self as he attempted several take-ons and mostly succeeded.
#4. Hit - Anthony Martial
Martial came on as a second-half substitute for Manchester United and pulled two goals back for his side from virtually nothing. He had just 14 touches of the ball and played just six passes. However, he scored from both his shots on target, one of which was a penalty he earned for himself. He also won three of his four duels.
#3. Hit - Kevin De Bruyne
Kevin De Bruyne continued with his great run of providing assists for his teammates as he provided a pair of assists for Haaland to score from. He played two key passes, two crosses and two long balls. He also attempted two shots on target and won two of his four duels.
#2. Flop - Manchester United's defense
None of Manchester United's defensive players put in a good performance as they were outclassed by a driven and determined Manchester City unit.
Diogo Dalot and Tyrell Malacia were both shown yellow cards in a frantic first half. Raphael Varane made a decent start to the game but was forced off with an injury after 41 minutes. Lisandro Martinez struggled against Erling Haaland's physicality and failed to impose himself. De Gea was extremely unlucky to concede several goals but tried his best.
#1. Hit - Erling Haaland
Haaland continued in his incredible scoring form, adding a brace in the first half. He used his physicality extremely well to shrug off Lisandro Martinez and Raphael Varane, making space for himself. He also provided an assist for Foden to score his second and third goals.
His goals take his tally to 13 in eight games as he remains bang on course to contest Mohamed Salah's record of 32 goals in a season. He completed a well-deserved hat-trick in the second half, becoming the first player to score three hat-tricks on the spin in home games.
