Man City vs Man Utd LIVE: Premier League result and reaction as Foden and Haaland goals complete comeback
Man City 3-1 Man Utd: Pep Guardiola’s men fought from a goal down to triumph in the Manchester derby
Manchester City triumphed at the Etihad Stadium to keep up the pressure on Premier League leaders Liverpool and earn a sixth win in the last seven Manchester derbies.
Things didn’t always look as though City would win. Marcus Rashford had the first word with a blistering strike inside the first 10 minutes, beating Ederson from 25-yards with a rocket that rattled into the underside of the crossbar and finished in the back of the net.
United’s Andre Onana performed admirably in goal as City stepped up the tempo but the hosts should have entered the half-time break on level terms only for Erling Haaland to volley over the crossbar from close range.
Phil Foden, quickly making the derby his stage to perform on, nipped in from the right just before the hour mark and nailed a left footed strike into the far top corner to equalise. With 10 minutes to go Foden, aided superbly by Julian Alvarez, finished off a slick move to get into the box and coolly finished past Onana to put the hosts ahead before Haaland closed out the match in stoppage time.
Relive the action from the Manchester derby below:
What’s happening in the title race?
Premier League leaders Liverpool moved four points ahead of Manchester City and ensured their lead would remain in tact following the latest of late winners in their clash with Nottingham Forest on Saturday.
It was a controversial goal following an earlier refereeing error but Darwin Nunez leapt highest in the box to nod home Alexis Mac Allister’s cross and earn Jurgen Klopp’s men a valuable three points.
City are now seeking to close the gap but face a potentially tricky encounter against Manchester United. Though seeming in-and-out of form Erik ten Hag’s men have the capabilities of making things difficult at the Etihad Stadium but they will need to turn up in their best form.
The Red Devils could decide the fate of the Premier League if they take points from City today.
Elsewhere, Arsenal face Sheffield United on Monday night and hope to close the gap on Liverpool as well.
Erik ten Hag demands apology from Fulham over Bruno Fernandes TikTok video
Erik ten Hag has told Fulham that they should apologise for posting a video of Bruno Fernandes that mocked them and insisted they were “totally out of order”.
Fulham put a clip on Tiktok of the Manchester United captain writhing in apparent pain after a challenge by Sasa Lukic during their 2-1 victory at Old Trafford on Saturday with the caption “so glad he’s ok”.
Erik ten Hag demands apology from Fulham over Bruno Fernandes TikTok video
Fulham posted a TikTok video that has drawn criticism from the Manchester United manager
Guardiola warns about Manchester derby emotions
Pep Guardiola says Manchester City must not be distracted by emotions in Sunday’s derby against Manchester United at the Etihad Stadium.
City, who won 3-0 at Old Trafford in October, are second in the Premier League, four places above United and four points behind leaders Liverpool whom they are determined to catch.
Any drop in points could be costly in the title race though today’s encounter may not be as easy as first expected. Though City are unbeaten in 18 games, United have lost only once in this calendar year.
"What I learn from my experience in these types of games is to be more calm, relax, don’t talk about many things," Guardiola said.
"Just focus on tactics and what you have to do to beat them, not about emotions - because emotions will be there, without doubt."
Man City vs Man Utd prediction
Being the more dominant side in Manchester in recent years, and with home advantage, makes Manchester City the odds on favourites to get a win today. Liverpool’s last-ditch winner against Nottingham Forest also adds to the pressure on Pep Guardiola’s men who will hope to continue their fine form with a spanking victory over their city rivals.
United on the other hand could use this match as a stepping stone to end the season on a high. Victory would propel them into the contest for a top four spot though defeat would leave them 11 points adrift of Aston Villa.
Overall though it is difficult to look past the reigning Premier League champions who should cruise to a comfortable victory.
Manchester City 3-1 Manchester United.
Man City vs Man Utd predicted line-ups
Though both managers have injuries in their squads to deal with, the teams should be fairly strong this afternoon. City will have the edge in terms of quality especially as United’s defence looks far from stable.
Here’s how we see the teams lining up today:
Manchester City XI: Ederson; Walker, Dias, Ake; Rodri, Stones; Silva, Kovacic, De Bruyne, Foden; Haaland.
Manchester United XI: Onana; Dalot, Varane, Evans, Lindelof; Mainoo, Casemiro; Eriksen, Fernandes, Garnacho, Rashford
Early team news for Man City vs Man Utd
Manchester City will be without Jack Grealish, who Pep Guardiola fears will not be back until after the international break later this month.
Erik ten Hag should have an unchanged squad from which to pick, having allayed injury fears around Bruno Fernandes and Raphael Varane by declaring both fit to feature. Tyrell Malacia, Anthony Martial, Lisandro Martinez, Mason Mount, Luke Shaw and Aaron Wan-Bissaka are all unavailable, while Rasmus Hojlund will be back later in March from a muscular problem.
How to watch Manchester derby on TV
The Manchester derby will kick off at 3.30pm GMT on Sunday 3 March at the Etihad Stadium.
Viewers in the United Kingdom can watch the match live on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Premier League, with coverage on the channels from 3pm. Subscribers can also stream the action via Sky Go.
If you’re travelling abroad and want to watch major sporting events then you might need a VPN to unblock your streaming app. Our VPN roundup is here to help: get great deals on the best VPNs in the market. Viewers using a VPN need to make sure that they comply with any local regulations where they are and also with the terms of their service provider.
Inside the power battles at the heart of the new Manchester United
ver the past few months, Jean-Claude Blanc has kept a line of dialogue open with Zinedine Zidane. Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s Ineos and Blanc, the chief executive of its sports arm, have long been admirers of the former Real Madrid manager. That level of Champions League success is naturally what Ineos is aspiring to at Manchester United.
This isn’t to say that Zidane is set to take over at Old Trafford in the summer, but it is a connection the group is naturally keeping open.
It similarly feeds into the feeling around Erik ten Hag’s future. Virtually everyone is saying it is up in the air. Ineos is monitoring everything and consulting, and will make the decision it best sees fit.
That will, of course, be based on much more than one game but last weekend’s home defeat to Fulham was all the more unfortunate given it came at a crucial time, just before Sunday’s Manchester derby. The 2-1 loss was all the worse since it felt such an abrupt regression when everything had been going much better.
Inside the power battles at the heart of the new Manchester United
As Manchester United take on their city rivals on the pitch on Sunday, there are years of work ahead in order to catch up off it. But with Sir Jim Ratcliffe leading the revolution, change could be coming sooner than expected, writes Miguel Delaney
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