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The changing of the guard came in a Manchester derby on the day Erling Haaland netted his third consecutive hat-trick at Etihad, scoring 14 goals in 7 games, two fewer than Sadio Mané last season and three fewer than Harry Kane at the same course , four behind Cristiano Ronaldo’s superb performance last year. Haaland, who also added two assists, is beyond what can be imagined and the Portuguese star, who was on his way to turning 38, was witnessed from the bench as he celebrated a Manchester City win ( 6-3) against a United half leading a bookmark that had a humiliating varnish.
6
Ederson Moraes, Cancelo, Aké, Manuel Akanji, Walker (Sergio Gómez, min. 40), Bernardo Silva, Gündogan (Laporte, min. 74), De Bruyne (Julián Álvarez, min. 74), Grealish (Cole Palmer, min. 74), Foden (Mahrez, Min. 74) and Erling Braut Haaland
3
De Gea, Diogo Dalot, Lisandro Martínez, Tyrell Malacia (Shaw, min 45), Varane (Nilsson-Lindelöf, min 39), McTominay (Casemiro, min 58), Jadon Sancho (Fred, min 69), Antony , Eriksen, Bruno Fernandes and Rashford (Anthony Martial, Min. 58)
Gates 1-0 min 7: Foden. 2-0 min 33: Erling Braut Haland. 3-0 min 36: Erling Braut Haland. 4-0 min. 43: Foden. 4-1 min. 55: Anthony. 5-1 min. 63: Erling Bride Haland. 6-1 min. 72: Foden. 6-2 mins. 83: Anthony Martial. 6-3 mins. 90: Anthony Martial.
referee MichaelOliver
Yellow cards Diogo Dalot (min. 1), Tyrell Malacia (min. 22) and Bruno Fernandes (min. 79)
After a poor start to the season, the Old Trafford squad appeared to be stabilised. They won two games at the end of August, one against Liverpool, and in the first four days of September they won two more, inflicting Arsenal’s only defeat to date. He postponed his next two games, but Ten Hag was still named manager of the month, a placebo. October came, Manchester City appeared and the difference between a built team and another under construction was obvious.
United’s scaffolding collapsed in front of his rival’s series of attacks which barely allowed him to move from the center of the field for the first half-hour, showing first his chorus condition and then that of his stars effusively. Few combinations can boast of lubrication like that of Pep Guardiola, who was unable to have his hinge Rodri through injury and left Ruben Dias and Aymeric Laporte, his putative centre-backs, on the bench. With interchangeable parts assembled into an idea you believe in and practice, a living soccer ball flows drawing triangles, supports and continuous arrivals in the field. Attack production this time went non-stop because as soon as the rival snatched the ball, they were already stacking it to return it.
That wimp was Manchester United at the Etihad. There are times when the city gets dense and everything seems to stand still. But if you manage to circulate the ball, it’s an incomparable team, unique. In this scenario, the contribution of Bernardo Silva and Phil Foden, who also left the game with a goal hat-trick, is reinforced. Both scored on goal after seven minutes. At this point, City was already collecting scoring chances. The Portuguese played indoors and outdoors without anyone holding him down. The Englishman is the least British footballer in the history of football’s inventors, but he is on his way to becoming one of the greats if he isn’t already. The pair has a point of undervaluation. Sometimes soccer players don’t understand the brilliance. And there are stars that shine brighter than the sun. Like Erling Haaland.
The boy arrived in Manchester, the city where he had lived as a child, in the summer and they asked him which rival he would most like to play against. He answered without hesitation, concretely as it seems in all facets of life: “Manchester United”. In April 2001 he was nine months old when Roy Keane, the holy glory of Old Trafford, took his father, Alf-Ige Haaland, and retired him from football. Four years earlier, the Ireland midfielder had suffered a serious knee injury in a chance collision with the Norwegian defender back in Leeds. Papa Haaland scolded him as he lay on the ground because he thought he was faking it. Some time later, Keane realized he wanted to do harm. “Fuck him. Eye to eye. He received his just reward.” The two protagonists of this black episode were at the Etihad this Sunday. In the run-up to the game, they were only 15 meters apart on one side of the field, each in a different television broadcast.
No feelings were revealed for Erling Haaland, who acted as usual as a cold executor. United was a new notch in his revolver. In three minutes he hit the net with a header from a corner and stretched like a cheetah to fit the sole of his foot in goal, a monumental center for De Bruyne. When Foden took a 4-0 lead just before half-time, many Manchester United fans left the stadium. The resumption was a formality that both teams graced with goals to the relief of Ten Hag and his troops who were close to a result that would go down in history. City are now a point behind leaders Arsenal and eight ahead of their rivals Citizen.
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