Haaland goal sees 10-man City beat United in controversial Manchester derby

Erling Haaland has fired 10-man Manchester City to a memorable 1-0 victory over Manchester United despite Phil Foden’s first-half red card to extend a perfect start to manager Enzo Maresca’s reign.

Foden kicked out at United captain Bruno Fernandes on 23 minutes to give the visitors a mountain to climb.

But a new-look City were up to the challenge as the near 250 million-pound ($340m) midfield pairing of Elliot Anderson and Enzo Fernandez proved their worth.

Haaland’s winner was laced with controversy as Fernandez was deemed not to be interfering with play when he attempted to head in before the ball reached the Norwegian.

Defeat compounds a miserable Premier League start for United as they are already eight points adrift of City and defending football champions Arsenal.

By contrast, victory was a huge statement for Maresca to quell fears of a major drop-off from City following Pep Guardiola’s trophy-laden decade in charge.

A fervent pre-match atmosphere was fuelled just as much by United fans’ anger towards their own club as it was by the usual animosity between the supporters.

A crackdown on ticket touting in recent months has resulted in widespread condemnation from supporters’ groups after many innocent people faced the threat of sanction.