Three Takeaways From Man City’s Unlikely Victory in Theatrical Manchester Derby

Manchester City’s confidence-and bragging rights-will be at an all-time high this week, after they defeated Manchester United 1–0 on Sunday in the first Manchester derby of the new season.

Read more Three Takeaways From Man City’s Unlikely Victory in Theatrical Manchester Derby

Not only did City claim victory over their bitter rivals, maintaining their status as “the kings of Manchester,” but they did so on the road at Old Trafford with just 10 men.

Phil Foden was contentiously flashed a red card in the 23rd minute following a heated skirmish with United midfielder Bruno Fernandes, leaving City to play a man-down for over 70 minutes. It proved a surmountable challenge for the Cityzens, though, who secured their fourth-consecutive league win of the new season in an early, yet promising bid, for a silverware-laden campaign.

Man City Find Way to Prevail

After Phil Foden’s early exit, City remained level-headed in the home of their bitter rivals and ultimately found a way to prevail.

They held a rather-toothless United at bay, walking into the players’ tunnel over 20 minutes later with both sides still goalless. “Moving on as well as possible, just focusing on the next action,” center back Marc Guéhi said at halftime, regarding City’s mentality for staying in the match.

The second half brought inevitable fatigue, especially for new, pricey midfielders Enzo Fernández and Elliot Anderson, who were forced to man the center of the park by themselves. Iliman Ndiaye subsituted on for midfielder Rayan Cherki, yet replaced the space Foden occupied on the right wing. Fernández even began cramping in his legs, before being replaced by Nico O’Reilly in the 82nd minute.

Yet, amid the fatigue, Erling Haaland finally broke through. Held to less than five touches by the time Foden took his leave, Haaland was completely silent in the first half. He responded, though, with a skillful, back-post finish in the 60th minute. It was Haaland’s first and only shot on target of the game, first ruled offside before VAR reversed the decision. It’s been a spectacular start to the season for Haaland, who has now scored six goals in the last four matches across all competitions.

City successfully defended their recent reputation as a team capable of handling themselves when playing a man-down, and Maresca will be proud of the way City found a way to succeed, even if United were a lackluster adversary.

An Afternoon to Forget for United

The hosts were uninspired on Sunday, wasteful in attack and toothless on defense. What should have been an easy claim to the Manchester crown was made much more difficult than it needed to be.

United should have capitalized on City’s discombobulation in the moments directly following the red card call as the visitors scrambled to adjust to the giant Foden-sized hole on the right wing; however, the hosts remained passive. It wasn’t until 40 minutes later that United’s frontline even forced Gianluigi Donnarumma into a save.

The only source of fleeting creativity was Fernandes, who fostered United’s only big chance of the afternoon, a waste of the team’s whopping 16 total shots.

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It was a deserved victory for City, who now stand level with Arsenal atop the Premier League standings after a fourth-straight league win. Meanwhile, United stay down in 13th, managing just one win in league play thus far.

Should Fernandes Have Been Carded Too?

While Foden was flashed red for violent conduct, Fernandes was not disciplined in the skirmish that broke out between the pair, an outcome for which he will likely feel lucky.

The two battled for the ball near the sideline, wrapped around each other in a hard tackle that concluded with City academy graduate Foden two-foot kicking the stomach of Fernandes with minimal force that still sent the veteran midfielder to the ground in a curled-up ball.

Fernandes may have been floored, but he wasn’t exactly a passive bystander in the affair. Foden was the first to be splayed on the ground, a vulnerable position in which Fernandes swiftly kicked him in the backside, prompting Foden’s harsh retaliatory response.

Phil Foden is sent off at Old Trafford after kicking out at Bruno Fernandes. pic.twitter.com/A4JigAVEaS

– NBC Sports Soccer (@NBCSportsSoccer) September 13, 2026

Violent conduct is defined as “when a player uses or attempts to use excessive force or brutality against an opponent when not challenging for the ball, or against a teammate, team official, match official, spectator or any other person, regardless of whether contact is made.” It is a definition that could easily be applied to Fernandes’s brutality against Foden too.

Violent conduct usually brings about a three-match suspension. Unless appealed, Foden could miss City’s midweek EFL Cup battle with Norwich City as well as the league matches against Sunderland and Liverpool.

Fernandes will be grateful not to miss United’s upcoming slate of challenging matches, bouts against Brighton & Hove Albion, Fulham and Tottenham Hotspur.

This article was originally published on www.si.com as Three Takeaways From Man City’s Unlikely Victory in Theatrical Manchester Derby.

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This story was originally published September 13, 2026 at 2:00 PM.