Erling Haaland was ecstatic at full-time as his two goals drove Manchester City to a confident derby victory against local neighbours Manchester United. Haaland was a threat from the very start and struck twice in the second period to seal a deserved victory for Pep Guardiola's side, who returned to winning ways following successive defeats before the international break.
A crucial derby day victory for Man City
Speaking at full-time, Haaland expressed how much the dominant 3-0 win over their rivals was needed. While derby day victory is always important, the City players could feel that this one meant more, reflected the prolific Norwegian striker, who has scored five Premier League goals in this new season already.
Advertisement(C)Getty ImagesHaaland makes the difference in the derby – again
Haaland is regularly a difference-maker in the Manchester derby, scoring eight times against City's closest rivals already including a notable hat-trick at the Etihad in 2022. This time, though, his goals ensured the Cityzens put an end to a worrying start to the season – which recently led Haaland to hit out at team-mates with claims it had been "not good enough" – with an emphatic victory.
Phil Foden also got on the scoresheet on his first start of the campaign, shortly after Guardiola had spoken of his desire for the Englishman to return to his best form for the club.
Haaland's words after derby victory
Haaland said at full-time: "You could feel it as well from the fans, we needed this. You always want to win the derby but you could feel it extra today. I'm so relieved, so happy we managed to do it altogether. We have to keep going. Today we're super happy."
Getty Victory a sign of things to come?
This result could be the one which propels Haaland and City on to an imperious autumn as they attempt to chase down league leaders Liverpool. Those of a Sky Blue persuasion will certainly hope so, though United have been inconsistent at the best of times in recent months and truer tests will come in pending heavyweight clashes with Napoli and Arsenal.