MATCH REPORT AND PLAYER RATINGS - MANCHESTER CITY 3-1 MANCHESTER UNITED

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Manchester City came from behind to beat local rivals Manchester United thanks largely to a sparkling performance from boyhood City fan Phil Foden.

The 23 year old bagged a brace, including a stunning strike from the edge of the area to draw the score level, to make himself the highest scoring City player in Manchester derbies at the Etihad Stadium, a record he is surely going to secure as his own by the time he retires.

Erling Haaland also scored in second half injury time to bag his 28th goal of the season in all competitions, after a horrendous miss in the first half from inside the six yard box in front of an open goal.

All of this came after a thunderbolt from Marcus Rashford inside the opening ten minutes to give United the lead, after following through on a lay off from Bruno Fernandes to crash a shot off the underside of the bar from 30 yards out.

This didn't disrupt City's start to the game, which was excellent. They controlled the opening of the game, and put United, who opted to sit deep in their own half and look to hit on the counter, under pressure right from the very off.

Even after Rashford's freak goal, City deserved to be ahead at half time, with Foden coming off worst in a one vs one with Andre Onana and Haaland turning the ball over the bar in a chance worth 0.93 in xG.

Their momentum continued in the second half, but stuttered slightly, as United appeared to grow into the game a bit more from a footballing perspective with a spell of controlled possession.

But they were snapped straight out of it thanks to Foden's remarkable strike, and it was clear from the point that United weren't going to win it, as they didn't offer another attack of notice for the remaining 40 minutes of the game.

Foden bagged his second after linking up with Julian Alvarez on the left hand side before gliding into the box and finishing low to Onana's left for his 18th goal in all competitions so far this season (which already surpasses the highest goalscoring total he's achieved in his career so far.)

United, who had subbed off their two biggest counter attacking weapons in Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho, didn't offer any attacking threat to put City's slender lead under jeopardy.

If anything, it was City who looked most likely to extend their lead, with Foden buzzing around and making a menace of himself. Kevin de Bruyne came closest in normal time to adding to the lead, with a strike from the edge of the box curling just wide of the far post.

After an excessive 8 minutes of added time were announced, City took it in their stride by not changing the rhythm of their play at all, squeezing high up the pitch and taking risks on the ball to maintain possession.

This paid off straight away, after Rodri picked Sofyan Amrabat's pocket on the edge of United's box, before playing in Haaland to slide the ball into the bottom corner with his first touch.

3-1 as a score line flattered United, who offered very little in the game other than their goal compared to City, who ended up with more shots than United had possession (27 shots to 26% possession.)

Erik Ten Hag's side defended well in the first half, with a defensive midfield trio of Scott McTominay, Casemiro and the impressive young Kobbie Mainoo suffocating the game.

McTominay operated further up the field most of the time, and supported Rashford, Fernandes and Garnacho to offer threat on the counter attack.

But City found a way to beat the low block, and ultimately United couldn't offer enough on the attack to claw themselves back into the game after their initial goal.

That is one tough Premier League game out of the way now for the Blues. They face their bogey fixture in Liverpool at Anfield on Sunday, but first need to manage the home leg of their Champions League Round of 16 tie against Copenhagen, in which they hold a 3-1 advantage.

Here are the player ratings for City's derby day victory at the Etihad:

Ederson - 7/10 - Could have done absolutely nothing to keep Rashford's strike out. Other than that, he had nothing else to do, with his most remarkable moment being an excellent sliding tackle on Garnacho as the Argentinian winger looked to get in on goal.

Walker - 7.5/10 - Kept Rashford quiet for all of the game (except for his goal, which Walker could've done nothing about.) Was imperious in duels and passed the ball around sharply and precisely, in a performance proving his worth to the side.

Dias - 7/10 - Aggressive in aerial duels against McTominay and Fernandes, and played the ball out well from the back.

Stones - 8/10 - Pushed forward into midfield brilliantly, and made a few good forward runs that allowed City to unlock United's deep block. Held positions between the lines which also allowed the likes of Bernardo Silva, De Bruyne and Rodri to have more of the ball.

Ake - 7/10 - Was arguably slightly sloppy in pushing out and playing Fernandes onside for United's goal, but was immense otherwise, winning duel after duel and carrying the ball forwards and passing it well.

Rodri - 8.5/10 - Went very under the radar, but ran the game in the centre of the park. Along with Stones, the Spaniard had plenty of touches of the ball and also made positive forward runs to help City win.

De Bruyne - 7/10 - The quietest of City's midfield and forward players, but was up there with City's highest performers in the first half along with Foden and Bernardo. The Belgian looked the most likely to make things happen in the first half by forcing the issue, and contributed to the fantastic second half performance from the whole team.

Bernardo - 7.5/10 - Was probably City's best player in the first half, with one striking moment where he put his foot on the ball and gestured to the players to calm down, utilising his maturity and experience playing in Pep Guardiola's system for the better of the team. Excelled on the left and right wing also, highlighting just how much his versatility and quality will be missed if he leaves in the summer.

Foden - 9.5/10 - Magnificent. What more is there to say about City's star boy other than he simply ran the show in a Manchester derby. In the second half particularly, he clicked into gear and was expressing his full repertoire of technical ability in fine, fine fashion.

Haaland - 7.5/10 - Was quieter than usual, with just 15 touches in the whole game (a whole 101 touches fewer than Foden.) Got over his awful miss very quickly by tucking away his goal with the confidence and incisiveness of a world class striker bang in form.

Doku - 5.5/10 - Unfortunately, Jeremy Doku looked right off his game from the very start. It was somewhat surprising he started in the first place, and struggled to beat Diogo Dalot in one vs one situations. When Alvarez came on, the team's performance improved, with every player on the pitch more comfortable in the system than the young Belgian player.

Substitutes:

Alvarez - 7.5/10 - Looked really sharp off the bench, as he made a positive impact on City's overall performance and linked up well with Foden for City's second goal.

Bobb - Not enough time to make an impact.