Manchester United 0-1 Manchester City; Ten-man Manchester City dominate United at Old Trafford

Erling Haaland’s contentious second-half goal was enough to secure three points for 10-man Manchester City, maintaining their perfect Premier League start with a 1- 0 win against Manchester United. 

Plenty of controversy surrounded the match as City won at Old Trafford despite being down to 10 men for three-quarters of the game after Phil Foden was shown a red card after kicking Bruno Fernandes in a moment of frustration. 

Tempers flared on the far touchline as Fernandes and Foden clashed.

Then came the moment that changed everything.

Michael Oliver immediately produced a red card, and VAR confirmed it.

Foden became only the second City player ever sent off in a Premier League Manchester Derby, and the first since Bernardo Corradi in 2006.

Despite playing over an hour with ten men, Manchester City walked out of Old Trafford with all three points, leaving United frustrated, flat, and stuck on four points from four games.

United began with purpose, pressing aggressively and forcing City into mistakes.

City’s back line looked unusually sluggish, struggling to move the ball out from their own box, and United’s direct play caused early problems.

Bruno Fernandes clipped a long ball over the top into the box for Diogo Dalot.

The Portuguese defender was the wrong man to be on the end of it, but it showed how easily United could slice through City’s high line.

Remarkably, Erling Haaland went 14 minutes without a single touch, a testament to United’s compact shape and disciplined defensive start.

United controlled territory, with 35% of the action played inside City’s half in the first 20 minutes, but they lacked the final pass, the final run, and the final conviction.

Since the red card, the only shot taken came from 10-man City, through Rayan Cherki. All three of United’s shots came before the dismissal.

United looked strangely less courageous going forward. City tightened their shape, slowed the game down, and grew stronger with every minute United failed to threaten. 

A frenetic spell in the second half inside the United box saw the ball ricochet off Patrick Dorgu, and crucially, that slight touch kept Haaland onside.

Enzo Fernandez’s failed attempt to play the ball only added to the confusion, but the VAR check confirmed the decision.

Haaland gave 10-man City the lead just over the hour mark and handled the difficult task at Old Trafford. With that strike, Haaland became the top scorer in Premier League Manchester derbies, now on nine goals. 

Haaland explained his view of his goal:“I thought maybe there was a flick. I normally don’t go offside. I told Michael Oliver I took it a bit personally that he thought I was offside.”

Lisandro Martínez was furious with the officials after the match, insisting Enzo Fernández interfered with his ability to defend the cross: “He was there in front of me. That’s why Haaland was free at the back.”

Martínez said:“Every season they explain the rules for an hour. They look so confident.

 And then five, six people doing this kind of mistake in the Premier League is unacceptable.”

Martínez explained the defensive dilemma:“I had two players there, Enzo and Haaland; I was 50/50 and had to take the first guy. If he’s not there, you go to Haaland. As simple as that.”

He ended by demanding clarity: “Let’s see what they’re going to say now. I want to hear their decision and based on what.”

Enzo Maresca's men now go joint top of the Premier League; a goal separates them from the defending champions, who can be delighted with a clean sheet against their Manchester rivals.

Manchester United end the weekend with four points from four games, a frustrating return for a side still searching for rhythm under Carrick.

Their inability to break down ten men will raise questions about their attacking structure and bravery in big moments.

Four points from four games: is this a crisis or part of the process?