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Champions Manchester City produced a performance of real maturity and poise to over come neighbours Man United in Sunday’s Manchester Derby. Coming into the game, Man City manager Pep Guardiola was urging for cool heads from his side.

At the start of the game however it appeared The Red Devils, who took heed of that warning. Much discussed forward Marcus Rashford, put United in front with the first effort on goal, a rocket of a strike that was too fiercely struck and well place for City goalkeeper Ederson to handle.

The Etihad was stunned and the visitors Man United threatened to add to their advantage. Goal scorer Marcus Rashford was not able to gather the ball into his stride when a potential one and one was about to present itself.

A second half-chance would offer itself up for Rashford, but yet again the United man was let down by his touch. At this point there was no cause for concern for Erik Ten Haag’s men, but they ideally could have done with a second goal to kill the game off.

Those reprieves that City were getting from the missed Man United half-chances, were giving The Blues inspired new confidence. When star striker Erling Haaland missed from barely a yard, Man City fans would have been expecting the worst and wondering if Erling had borrowed Sean Goater’s shooting boots.

Any fears that this Manchester Derby was getting away from City were allayed when Phil Foden curled a superb strike into the top right-hand corner to level the scores.

Home side City having applied a lot of pressure on the United defence since going behind, finally got a deserved second goal when Foden took advantage of a Casemiro error.

Having been in control of the game for a large part of the game, visitors Man United needed to get back in the game. Unfortunately for The Reds, a second individual error, this time from Sofyan Amrabat allowed Erling Haaland to calmly stroke home a third past a helpless Andre Onana.

So 3-1 it finished to City, in a result which allowed The Blues to reignite their title challenge.

As for United this harms their European hopes.

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