Erling Haaland got his revenge on Sunday at the Etihad as Man City thrashed local rivals Man United in a stunning 6 – 3 Premier League victory.
Haaland was the topic of most conversations leading up to the game, with the history of what happened to his father in this fixture fresh on everyone’s mind as the Norwegian geared up take on United for the first time in his career.
Furthermore, the Norwegian revealed at his unveiling as a City player that The Red Devils were the team he was most looking forward to play, undeniably driven by revenge for his father.
Haaland got his revenge on Sunday as City demolished Man United, with the Norwegian grabbing his third hat-trick of the league campaign already, taking his tally to 14 goals in his first 8 PL games. In fact, the former Dortmund star has reached 3 PL hat-tricks faster than any player in history, with Michael Owen being next, hitting 3 trebles after playing 48 games.
Haaland was not only on the end of chances, but also set up 2 goals as Phil Foden also grabbed a hat-trick in the Derby Day demolition. Kevin De Bruyne also picked up 2 assists, taking his tally to 8 for the Premier League season thus far, taking him to the top of the PL assist charts.
City went into the break 4-0 up and were thoroughly deserving of their big lead, dominating the game to a point where the score flattered Man United. However, it was the Red Devils that returned from the interval in better shape as new signing Antony bagged his 2nd goal in as many league appearances since joining from Ajax in late August.
However, the United respite was short-lived as Haaland completed his hat-trick around midway through the second half. The Norwegian then went to lay Foden off for his hat-trick, making the score 6-1 as they entered the final 10 minutes.
United responded with a few attacks of their own, culminating in a tap-in for the returning Anthony Martial who followed up on a shot that was parried by Ederson.
The Frenchman then bagged his brace from the penalty-spot in the dying minutes after Joao Cancelo brought him down just inside the 18-yard area. Martial confidently dispatched of the spot-kick, making the score 6-3.
During his pre-match press conference, United boss Erik Ten Hag was heard saying that the Red Devils were facing Man City, and not Erling Haaland.
It’s clear to see now that the former Ajax manager may have underestimated the impact and importance of the Norwegian as Haaland played a direct hand in 5 of City’s 6 goals. United will be licking their wounds following their 3rd defeat of the season. Despite looking more solid defensively in the previous 4 games, the Red Devils have now conceded 14 goals in the Premier League this season, with only four teams letting in more.