Phil Foden could not resist taunting Manchester United supporters as he left Old Trafford, gesturing 1-0 with his fingers while being booed, following Manchester City's derby victory. The England midfielder had been sent off in the 23rd minute for kicking out at Bruno Fernandes, yet his team still managed to secure all three points.
Haaland's decisive strike and VAR controversy
Erling Haaland scored the winning goal on the hour-mark, directing Josko Gvardiol's deflected cross home from a tight angle. The strike was initially ruled out for offside by referee Michael Oliver, but VAR overturned the decision, despite questions over Enzo Fernandez's involvement in the build-up.
Bryan Mbeumo had a late chance to equalize for United, but Gianluigi Donnarumma made a fine save to preserve City's third consecutive clean sheet in all competitions. The result lifted City level on points with Arsenal at the top of the table, after the Gunners beat Sunderland 24 hours earlier.
Foden's red card and suspension
Foden now faces a three-match suspension, ruling him out of City's matches against Norwich in the Carabao Cup, and Premier League fixtures against Sunderland and Liverpool. He will be available for the Champions League group-stage clash against Paris Saint-Germain on October 14.
City head coach Enzo Maresca praised his players' spirit after the game, saying: 'With the red card changed our plan a little bit but credit to the players because their effort, the spirit has been brilliant.' He added: 'The moment we go to ten players it changes all the players. At the beginning we wanted to create an overload in the middle but after 23 minutes it changed completely.'
Maresca's reaction and what's next
When asked if Foden's red card was fair, Maresca replied: 'It can be a red card but in the same action it can be a red card for Bruno. It is what it is.' He also noted that United are 'unbelievable in transition' but his team did not give them any chances after going down to ten men.
City will host Sunderland at the Etihad next week, aiming for a fifth straight league win, while United travel to Fulham seeking their second victory of the campaign. United remain in 13th place with four points, as Foden's antics added to their derby misery.
