Manchester City humiliate United as Haaland and Foden hit derby hat-tricks

The phenomenon that is Erling Haaland ended Manchester City’s dismantling of Manchester United with a third consecutive home Premier League hat-trick in a chastening afternoon for Erik ten Hag’s men. At the moment Haaland is too powerful, too hungry and, simply, too good for the opposition. The Norwegian can also create, as he did for the passes that allowed Phil Foden to register his second and final finish as he too enjoyed a hat-trick.

This 188th derby was the mother and father of all mismatches, City handing their neighbours a lesson that had them reeling, United 4-0 down at half-time – as at Brentford – and praying, surely, this would not end in a double-digit defeat. A final humiliation came with 25 minute left when Pep Guardiola made a quadruple substitution, two of those being replaced the scintillating Jack Grealish and Kevin De Bruyne.

Antony and Anthony Martial were United’s scorers but their strikes made it first 4-1, then 6-2 and 6-3 (the Frenchman scoring two), on a day when United fans were shown leaving at the interval, being unable to stomach further bullying of their dazed players.

City blew their guests away from kick-off. They monopolised the ball and space and were ahead inside 10 minutes. Before Foden’s opener only desperate defending from Scott McTominay and David de Gea prevented an earlier strike. When Haaland leaped at the far post to head a Bernardo Silva cross, McTominay stabbed this away only to see De Bruyne rifle a shot that was goal-bound before De Gea’s panther-like save, Silva having his follow-up stymied.

United were punch-drunk already. What they did not require was Bruno Fernandes gifting the ball to the champions needlessly, and now they struck. Foden initiated and finished a