Foden Double Helps Manchester City Beat Rival, United
Phil Foden’s second-half double ensured the Manchester derby spoils went to the Blues as Manchester City came from behind to beat Manchester United at Etihad Stadium.
In a game packed with international stars, it was two local boys who provided the key moments.
The visitors had led through Marcus Rashford’s sensational eighth-minute strike from 30 yards.
However, in a contest City dominated, Foden took centre stage.
There was an element of controversy over his second-half equaliser. United boss Erik ten Hag was booked for arguing his side should have had a free-kick in the City half when Rashford went down under Kyle Walker’s challenge.
Contact was minimal and within seconds Foden had curled a superb shot past Andre Onana.
Foden then burst away from a static Casemiro to score City’s second from Julian Alvarez’s return pass before Erling Haaland rounded off the scoring in stoppage time, after the Norwegian earlier missed an open goal from barely three yards.
It was City’s sixth win in seven meetings against United, who suffered their 11th Premier League defeat of the season.
More importantly, the result means Pep Guardiola’s side move to within a point of leaders Liverpool before next week’s trip to Anfield.
United remain in sixth in the table but are now 11 points behind fourth-placed Aston Villa and six behind Tottenham, in what could turn out to be a fifth Champions League spot, having played a game more.
There was something fitting about Stockport-born Foden becoming the match winner.
It seems a long time ago now that Guardiola was having to defend his treatment of a player he was accused of be holding back while contemporary Jadon Sancho was excelling at Borussia Dortmund having decided he would not wait to develop at City.
The contrast in current fortunes for the two players could not be more marked, with United outcast Sancho back on loan at Dortmund.
Foden’s equaliser was City’s 600th in this stadium under Guardiola and was a sublime effort, curled into the top corner out of Onana’s reach after he had run across Victor Lindelof on the right edge of the United box.
His second saw him burst into the area from the other side, collect a pass from Julian Alvarez and drill a low shot home, almost through the United keeper, who might have done better.
Foden is now picking his moments to get involved in attacks and watching England boss Gareth Southgate must surely find a way of getting the 23-year-old, who has scored 18 goals this season, into his starting line-up at Euro 2024 alongside the likes of Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham.
Haaland will have been pleased to get his name on the scoresheet given his incredible first-half miss when he somehow put Foden’s knock-back over an open goal from three yards.
By then though, City had beaten United again.
