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Manchester City took the spotlight on Sunday, winning the Manchester derby with ten men, keeping pace with Arsenal at the top, while United remain in thirteenth place with just four points. Earlier, Brighton produced the result of the round away from home.
Haaland decides a derby full of controversy
Manchester City prevailed in a scrappy derby, despite playing a man down for more than an hour. A very difficult match in which Manchester United was the better side, even before Foden’s sending off, which was the first notable incident of the game, occurring in the 23rd minute, when the Englishman kicked Bruno Fernandes after being fouled twice in the build-up. In any case, the excitement was slow to arrive at Old Trafford. The highlight of the first half was a free kick from Rashford that struck the post.
United dominated the numerical advantage, and Mainoo hit the post again in the second half from the edge of the box, while Mbeumo and Cunha kept creating chances. But City’s defense, marshalled by Donnarumma, held firm. The breakthrough came in the 60th minute, when Josko Gvardiol's low cross deflected into the six-yard box for Erling Haaland to finish from close range. Despite the controversy, the goal survived a VAR check for a possible offside against Enzo Fernández in the buildup. The Norwegian settled the derby with his sixth goal in the last four matches, and the ninth in eleven matches against their neighbors. United tried until the very end but every attempt was unsuccessful. They finished with more possession (55%) and more shots (16 to 7), however, City held onto the result and moving level with Arsenal on 12 points from four games.
In the day's other fixture, Brighton put five past a Coventry side still searching for its first point of the season, winning 5-0 away from home. The result lifts Brighton into the top four, while Coventry remain bottom of the table without a win and with the division's worst goal difference.
Table after matchweek 4
| Pos | Team | Pl | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arsenal | 4 | 12 |
| 2 | Manchester City | 4 | 12 |
| 3 | Hull City | 4 | 8 |
| 4 | Brighton | 4 | 7 |
| 5 | Chelsea | 4 | 7 |
| 6 | Brentford | 4 | 6 |
| 7 | Liverpool | 4 | 6 |
| 8 | Everton | 4 | 6 |
| 9 | Ipswich Town | 4 | 6 |
| 10 | Newcastle United* | 3 | 5 |
| 11 | Leeds United* | 3 | 5 |
| 12 | Nottingham Forest | 4 | 5 |
| 13 | Manchester United | 4 | 4 |
| 14 | Sunderland | 4 | 4 |
| 15 | Bournemouth | 4 | 3 |
| 16 | Crystal Palace | 4 | 3 |
| 17 | Tottenham Hotspur | 4 | 2 |
| 18 | Fulham | 4 | 1 |
| 19 | Aston Villa | 4 | 1 |
| 20 | Coventry City | 4 | 0 |
Next standout fixtures
- Brighton vs Arsenal
- Tottenham vs Aston Villa
- Brentford vs Chelsea
- Manchester City vs Sunderland
- Fulham vs Manchester United
- Bournemouth vs Liverpool
In addition to these league fixtures, the entire FA Cup round takes palace midweek.
