City wins derby with ten men after long VAR decision
Manchester City won the city derby against Manchester United despite having to play with ten men from the 23rd minute; a lengthy VAR‑check confirmed Erling Haaland’s goal in the 63rd minute, leaving United without a point and City taking three points.
The derby started fairly evenly, but Manchester City quickly dominated possession and territorial control. United tried to apply pressure through quick combinations, but the City‑players kept the ball in most zones. The atmosphere was tense, with both clubs aiming to take the three points. For Youri Tielemans and goalkeeper Senne Lammens the evening ended in disappointment.
Early red card changes game
In the 23rd minute Phil Foden received a red card after, following a duel and a push from Bruno Fernandes, he struck a kick towards the Portuguese. The referee reacted immediately, forcing City to continue with ten men early on. Pep Guardiola then pulled his team back, allowing United to take the initiative.
United had a chance shortly before halftime to take the lead when Marcus Rashford struck the ball past Gianluigi Donnarumma, but it hit the post. After the break United kept pressing; Kobe Mainoo shot an excellent ball against the crossbar in the 53rd minute. These missed opportunities weighed heavily in the later stages of the match.
City needed only one moment to score. Antoine Semenyo delivered a cross to Erling Haaland, who managed to get past Senne Lammens. The goal was initially disallowed for offside, but after a long VAR‑check it was confirmed, putting City 1‑0 up after 63 minutes.
Lammens then had to prevent City from raising the score to 0‑2 on several occasions, but his saves were not enough to secure a point. Manchester United finished without points, while City took three points and solidified their position in the league.
Kompany’s view on the future and Bayern duel
Kompany spoke plainly about the future of a player who is still referred to as part of the Red Devils. He referred to Elversberg, a club from a town of only twelve thousand inhabitants, which in its debut year already recorded two victories at the highest German level. In their home duel against Bayern Munich the German giant seemed poised to quickly put an end to the fairy‑tale when Lennart Karl scored in the 26th minute, on a pass from Ismaïl Saibari. However, Elversberg came back just before halftime, but the equalising goal was disallowed for offside.
It wasn’t only in our country that top‑level football was on display this week; important matches were also played in England and Germany. In England, United’s 0‑1 defeat to City stood alongside Coventry City’s 0‑5 victory over Brighton. In the Bundesliga RB Leipzig won 5‑0 against Hamburger SV, while Elversberg lost 1‑2 to Bayern Munich. These results show that the league battles in both England and Germany were particularly intense this weekend.