Manchester City beginning a potentially defining month with the result they needed as Red Devils are reeled in
point of view. In four of the previous six derbies – and that did not include the FA Cup final at the end of last season, whichwon 2-1 – United had been taken apart in grisly fashion. Their supporters even had the thrill of seeing Marcus Rashford blast them into an early lead with a furious long-range drive.
Foden scored twice, the first a hit to rival that of Rashford, the second a composed finish to make it 2-1 and take him to 18 goals for the season; a career best. But it was the little details, too, such as him tracking back to rob the United substitute, Antony, late on that had Pep Guardiola applauding wildly. Foden was on another level.
It is fair to say that Rashford had brought the spotlight upon himself by giving an interview on Thursday in which he strongly advised nobody to question his commitment to United – on the back of his poor performance in the midweek FA Cup win at Forest. Nobody was really doing that. They were questioning instead why he was having such a poor season.
Guardiola did what had been expected of him. He asked John Stones to step up into midfield while he gave Kevin De Bruyne and Bernardo Silva plenty of licence in central areas. City dominated possession, they pressed high and created chances before the interval, United repeatedly throwing bodies in front of shots. Onana was also excellent.
Guardiola advised calm. It would come for his team in the second half. United’s patched-up backline surely could not hold out. The equaliser was another thing of beauty, Foden cutting inside Lindelöf, no red shirts stepping out to him, the strike of the utmost purity. Foden had shimmered with menace. Now he had his moment from outside the box.United had wanted a foul by Walker on Rashford in their previous possession, which would have been soft.
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