“I have told Haaland to score five goals, please”, joked Guardiola in the preview of the Manchester derby. And the Norwegian striker came close to fulfilling Pep’s wishes. ‘Slo’ scored a hat-trick of goals and a double of assists with which Manchester City crushed United (6-3). Foden also took the ball home. They broke the boundaries of ‘football’ together.
Those of Ten Hag, who came from four consecutive victories that crowned the Dutch coach and Rashford as the Best of September, were minimized by a ‘light blue’ cyclone. City destroyed their neighbors, who returned all their doubts and complexes after a nightmarish afternoon at the Etihad. They weren’t prepared to survive Haaland…or Foden. Only Antony, who invented a great goal, and the double Martial ‘made up’ the setback for ‘ManU.’ His fans even left before the break. Casemiro and Cristiano, on the bench, did not want to see more either.
The abyss that has separated the two Manchester clubs for a decade has grown larger than ever this course with the arrival of Haaland. The Norwegian has sent the adaptation period to limbo by making the Premier his. His 14 goals in eight games are a record start and put in cold numbers the superiority of an attacker who has chained three consecutive hat-tricks at home in the League against Crystal Palace, Nottingham Forest and United. No one had done it before. He has achieved, in two months, the same trebles in England as Cristiano.
Haaland’s hat-trick in the Manchester derby that makes him go down in history
The mark of 34 goals by Andy Cole (Newcastle, 1994) and Alan Shearer (1995) in a season of 42 games and 32 by Salah (Liverpool, 2018) in one of 38 is in danger. Even Dixie Dean’s record 60 (Everton, 1928) ‘has’ fear of a Haaland who is on the best streak of his career. He has eight consecutive games with the City ‘wetting’. But he doesn’t just score. He also attends as he faced a United team that broke down on sight of him.
The City show started from the start. Haaland was not alone ‘crushing’ De Gea. Foden was his best partner. He had never marked his neighbors and he got three. The first of the English was scored by Foden after a choral play. Then the Norwegian festival began with De Bruyne as ‘passer’. Haaland’s first was a header from a corner and the second hunting a KDB shipment in the area. And he still had time before the break to give Foden the 4-0 with an assist that would sign any ‘playmaker’ on the planet. Dedicated to those who say he doesn’t know how to pass.
the best society
Antony closed the gap before Haaland and Foden completed their hat-tricks. Since Francis Lee (1970) no ‘cityzen’ has scored three goals against ‘ManU.’ Two for one. The ‘9’ achieved it after a cross from the Spaniard Sergio Gómez (entered for the injured Walker) and the Englishman through a pass from Erling. The former Dortmund player was one assist away from the ‘double triple’. Pure history of ‘football’. Only the couples formed by Pennant and Pires (Arsenal, 2003) and Ayoze and Vardy (Leicester, 2019) had scored three goals in the same Premier League match (both against Southampton). The City society is added to this list.
Martial, with his two goals, one of them a penalty, minimized damage. But the disaster was already a reality. City follows in the footsteps of Arsenal. Haaland and his triplets are scary. It took Owen 48 games to achieve three hat-tricks in the Premier and the Nordic striker has done so in eight. He smiles at his father from the stands. In her first Manchester derby, his son left nothing standing. Arras. His superiority is such that there is no defense to stop him. Lisandro, Varane (injured), Lindelf… they didn’t ‘tickle’ him. Erling has no limits. And even he has begun to play outside the area. Guardiola no longer knows what else to ask of him.
