Manchester derby reaction: How City beat United, Donnarumma and Haaland dazzle, more

MANCHESTER, England -- Manchester City cruised to victory in the 197th Manchester derby, with two goals from Erling Haaland helped Pep Guardiola's side to a comprehensive 3-0 victory over Manchester United at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday.

United regrouped well after Haaland almost put City ahead inside 20 seconds. After a tight opening period, there was a moment of brilliance from Jrmy Doku to help break the deadlock as he nipped into the penalty area and crossed from Phil Foden to open the scoring with a header after 18 minutes. Foden and Doku were also involved when Haaland doubled City's lead after half-time.

Gianluigi Donnarumma, making his debut from his deadline day arrival from Paris Saint-Germain, pulled off a terrific save to stop a Bryan Mbeumo volley. Then things went from bad to worse for United as Harry Maguire gave the ball away to Bernardo Silva, who sent Haaland clean through to make it 3-0 on 69 minutes.

Here's what you need to know about Sunday's game from Rob Dawson and Mark Ogden.

Man City need this resurgence from Foden if they're going to contend

Most of City's problems last season were put down to Rodri's absence, but Foden's dip in form was also a big factor. He was the best player in the Premier League when they won the title in 2023-24, notching 19 league goals and 27 in all competitions. Last season it was down to seven in the league and 13 in total.

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It was telling that Foden chose not to play for England in the June internationals, citing his need for a rest. Speaking in the U.S. at the Club World Cup, he said that the break had done him good and it was a case of "new season, new me."

It's taken him a while to get going, but his performance in the derby could be a launchpad for the rest of the campaign. He ghosted into the box to score City's first with a delicate header, and he was vital in the lead-up to the second, with a clever touch to Doku to set up Haaland.

The amount of changes at the Etihad over the last year gives the team a transitional feel. Foden is one of the constants, however, and if he can get back to his form from two years ago, City will be an entirely different prospect. -- Dawson

Donnarumma shows that quality counts

The pre-match debate ahead of the derby centred on the goalkeepers and the big decisions made by both clubs on deadline day about their number ones. United stepped back from a move for Aston Villa's Emiliano Martnez and instead signed Belgian youngster Senne Lammens from Royal Antwerp before shipping Andr Onana out on loan to Trabzonspor. City, meanwhile, sealed a deal for Paris Saint-Germain's Gianluigi Donnarumma -- a keeper rated by many as the best in the world.

United boss Ruben Amorim chose error-prone Altay Bayindir in goal ahead of Lammens and although the former Fenerbahce keeper was not at fault for any of the City goals, he also didn't make any confidence-boosting saves for his team. Donnarumma, on the other hand, produced a world-class stop to keep out Mbeumo's second-half volley, following on from two crucial saves in the first half.

Quality counts, especially in goal, and City showed the value of signing a proven keeper with Donnarumma's performance. -- Ogden

Haaland backs up Guardiola praise with two big goals

Guardiola was quick to back his man at his news conference on Friday when he was told Liverpool boss Arne Slot thinks his new signing Alexander Isak "might be the best striker in the world." Haaland is "a little bit above", according to the City boss.

While Isak was made to wait for his Liverpool debut after being left out of the squad for the 1-0 win over Burnley, Haaland took the opportunity to show everyone just how good he is. He scored five in Norway's 11-1 win over Moldova during the international break. And back in City blue, he took his first goal brilliantly with a deft finish over Bayindir after being sent through by Doku.

Haaland also had an age to think about how he was going to dispatch his second after racing away from the halfway. There are few players who look destined to score in those situations and some City fans were already celebrating before the corner of the net bulged.

While lots of the talk in the early weeks of the season has been about Viktor Gykeres, Isak and Sesko, Haaland has quietly reached five league goals already. Unsurprisingly, no one has more. -- Dawson

Old man Shaw looks out of time

Luke Shaw has been at Manchester United since the summer of 2014 and the England defender has seen more changes at Old Trafford than most. But his survival at the club is not down to his quality or contribution during that time. He has simply survived because there has always been a bigger issue to address than United's injury-prone left-back.

Shaw now plays on the left of a three-man defence due to his inability to play the wing-back role, but he lacks both the pace and the presence to do his new role properly. He was beaten too easily by Doku in the build-up to City's first goal, and Haaland brushed him aside on the way to scoring their second.

If United had been run properly in recent years, Shaw would have been offloaded and replaced years ago, but he is still clinging onto a team in the squad. While he wasn't the only 4/10 performer at the Etihad, Shaw's ongoing presence in the team sums up the issues that United continue to fail to address. -- Ogden

Sesko let down by Amorim and his system

Benjamin Sesko did not have a single attempt on goal against City and United's �73.7m striker never looked like getting one before being substituted late in the second half.