Man United 0-1 Man City: ten men and a Haaland winner

Manchester United 0-1 Manchester City was won by the side that played more than an hour of the derby with ten men. Phil Foden was sent off for violent conduct after twenty-three minutes at Old Trafford on Sunday, United hit the post twice, and Erling Haaland scored the only goal on the hour after a VAR review. City have won all four of their league matches.

United had 54.7% of the ball and sixteen shots to City’s six. They also had only three shots on target, and Gianluigi Donnarumma saved all three. It was a result built on defending and on one finish, and it keeps City level on twelve points with Arsenal at the top of the table.

Foden’s red card

The match changed shape before it had properly settled. Donnarumma had already saved a Lisandro Martínez shot from outside the box on seven minutes when, on twenty-three, Michael Oliver showed Foden a straight red card for violent conduct. City had to play the remaining sixty-seven minutes, plus stoppage time, a man down.

United pressed, and they came close either side of half-time. On forty-five minutes Marcus Rashford struck a direct free kick from outside the box against the left post. Six minutes into the second half Kobbie Mainoo, set up by Bruno Fernandes, also hit the left post with a shot from outside the box. City replaced Rayan Cherki with Iliman Ndiaye at the interval.

Haaland, after the VAR review

City scored on the hour. On sixty minutes Haaland finished left-footed from the right side of the six-yard box into the high centre of the goal, and the goal was awarded following a VAR review. It was his fourth league goal of the season and the third consecutive league match in which he has scored.

United responded by sending on Benjamin Sesko for Youri Tielemans on sixty-seven minutes and Joshua Zirkzee for Rashford on eighty-three. Senne Lammens saved from Enzo Fernández on sixty-nine minutes, and a minute later Donnarumma kept out a Bruno Fernandes shot from outside the box in the bottom left corner. In the fifth minute of stoppage time the City goalkeeper saved again, from Bryan Mbeumo in the centre of the box, and City held on.

Three yellow cards came in the space of three minutes. Josko Gvardiol and Enzo Fernández were booked for City on seventy-nine and eighty minutes, and Harry Maguire for United on eighty-one. United committed seventeen fouls to City’s ten and were caught offside four times.

• Phil Foden (Manchester City), 23 minutes: red card for violent conduct
• Marcus Rashford (Manchester United), 45 minutes: free kick against the post
• Kobbie Mainoo (Manchester United), 51 minutes: shot against the post
• Erling Haaland (Manchester City), 60 minutes: goal awarded after a VAR review
• Shots: Manchester United 16 (3 on target), Manchester City 6 (2 on target)
• Saves: Gianluigi Donnarumma (Manchester City) 3, Senne Lammens (Manchester United) 1

City’s perfect start

City are second with twelve points, eight goals scored and two conceded. They came from behind to beat Bournemouth 2-1, won 4-1 at Crystal Palace, beat Coventry 1-0 and have now won at Old Trafford with ten men for more than an hour. Only Arsenal, on goal difference, are ahead of them.

This one was built on defending: six shots, two on target, and a goalkeeper who had to be right every time. City only made two substitutions. Haaland, who did not score in the opening match, has now scored in each of the last three league matches.

United: good chances, no reward

United are thirteenth with four points: a 2-0 defeat at Hull City on the opening weekend, a 5-2 win over Ipswich Town, a 2-2 draw at Everton and now a home defeat in the derby. They hit the woodwork twice, had sixteen shots and played against ten men for more than an hour, and did not score.

That is the part of the afternoon that will linger. United had the chances to win the match and a numerical advantage for most of it, and City still left with the points. Both clubs play in the Carabao Cup this week: United host Brighton on Wednesday, and City host Norwich City on Thursday.

Simulate the rest of the Premier League season

City and Arsenal have both won all four league matches, and the derby showed how thin the margins behind that record can be. On the Premier League simulator you can play the season forward from the real table, or rerun the derby through the AI simulator and see how often United make their extra man count.

• Play the remaining 34 rounds from the real table and the real fixture list
• Simulate this week’s Carabao Cup third-round ties, including Manchester United against Brighton
• Run any fixture through the AI match simulator, in tactical view or in the physics arena
• Open the line-up builder for both clubs before you kick off a simulation
• Turn an arena simulation into a vertical video ready to share

"United had the extra man for more than an hour and hit the post twice. City had one shot that mattered."