Manchester City recover from Foden red card as Haaland wins derby at United

“Enzo, Enzo, Enzo, in your head” was how delirious Manchester City fans regaled Enzo Fernández, who after a star role in a memorable victory has instant cult hero status.

This 199th derby was won by Erling Haaland’s ninth strike in the fixture but the visitors’ totem was their new No 17. He was the key nuisance in a goal ruled out initially for offside and which the video assistant ­referee overturned when ruling that ­Fernández was not distracting ­Lisandro Martínez when Josko ­Gvardiol’s ball came over. The Argentinian, too, was an emblem of the fight Maresca’s team carried to Manchester United after Phil Foden appeared to turn the game the hosts’ way on 23 minutes.

As he and Bruno Fernandes challenged along City’s right the forward kicked United’s captain around the midriff and Michael Oliver showed a red card, VAR backing the referee’s instantaneous decision.

Except, down to 10 men, Enzo Maresca refused to go for the draw, by shutting the back door with a defender for a more attacking player, until late on, after Haaland’s finish – when Nico O’Reilly replaced Fernández to help see it out.

City, surely looking at film of the 2-0 defeat here in January, wanted a quick start and not to be knocked off the ball as they were in Michael ­Carrick’s first game in charge of United. Antoine Semenyo led the charge, losing a tussle with Diogo Dalot before recovering and dispossessing the right-back.

Toe‑to‑toe was an apt characteri­sation of the contest, as Carrick had Matheus Cunha switching from his false No 9 berth with Marcus Rashford on the left, and Maresca instructed Fernández to drift away from his midfield partner, Elliot Anderson, out wide.

Phil Foden remonstrates with Michael Oliver after being shown a red card. Photograph: Tom Jenkins/The Guardian

Having Haaland galloping towards goal is a key City tactic, and when he did a sixth goal in four games ­beckoned but hesitation cost the striker, as Dalot went close to suf­fering for the same fault: he was unsure under a high ball and ­Semenyo, lurking, nearly profited.

Now came Foden’s folly – an act that will have infuriated Maresca and most of a City stripe. Fernandes may have made contact with a boot first, but in no way as forcefully as Foden. Maresca agreed it was a red card but also wanted one for the Portugeuse.

City were in a classic twist or stick predicament. A draw was no ­disaster but finding a way to take the lead would bring with it a famous – and morale‑rocketing – result. When Haaland swooped forward and bent a pass into Rayan Cherki – moved from the No 10 slot to Foden’s on the right – you saw why Maresca had decided to twist.

The Italian’s ambition was ­admirable – as long as United were kept out. Carrick’s team knew this, too, so composure was required, not the wildness that had Fernandes over­hitting a simple cross that should have found Rashford ready to pull the trigger.

Harry Maguire’s tilt for glory from 25 yards that smacked into a colleague was also ­amateurish, but as the break neared Rashford’s effort was better. A 20-yard free‑kick beat the wall but not the diving ­Gianluigi Donnarumma’s right post.

Maresca’s move for the ­second half was to remove Cherki for ­Iliman Ndiaye’s greater pace along the right – this reinforcing his front‑foot mode. Carrick’s instructions had to be ­simple: go for the ­jugular and a precious three points that would lift them to fifth, five points behind the leaders, Arsenal. Kobbie Mainoo, anonymous so far, went as close as Rashford when letting fly: again ­Donnarumma was beaten and again his right post saved City, the rebound hitting the keeper.

Erling Haaland scores City’s winner, initially ruled out for offside, from a tight angle. Photograph: Adam Vaughan/EPA

United were a red rash all over those in blue. Possession was ­pinballed about, tackles crashed into, as when Patrick Dorgu upended ­Ndiaye, yet no ­breakthrough came.

So City’s smash-and-grab dreams were realised when Haaland found the net. The No 9 celebrated with his sit‑down zen-like posture but only after VAR overruled the initial offside call. Gvardiol’s cross from the left hit Dorgu’s foot and continued on, ­passing a diving Fernández (who missed contact, the subject of VAR’s scrutiny) and Martínez, and Haaland expertly rippled the net.

A twinkling Maresca riffed on a saying when speaking of the Norwegian’s import. “Happy Erling, happy life. My wife will not be happy,” he said.

Carrick replaced Youri Tielemans with Benjamin Sesko as United, des­perate, required a goal. It never came – Mbeumo’s added-time effort was fierce but beaten out by ­Donnarumma. Haaland said of the City goalkeeper: “This wolf in goal is giving you so much confidence, he looks a bit like a wolf. He is a mad man but he is a match‑winner as well.”

Fernández decorated his afternoon with an attempt that clipped Senne Lammens’s left post. At the final whistle, Maresca skipped down the touchline, the ­victory a ­triumph of his and the players’ courage.