When Manchester City played host to Manchester United on March 3, the Etihad Stadium was the scene of yet another exciting matchup between the two teams.
In March 2022, the team led by Pep Guardiola emerged victorious with a score of 4-1. Kevin De Bruyne and Riyad Mahrez each scored two goals, and Erling Haaland and Phil Foden ratcheted up the intensity with a pair of hat-tricks in a 6-3 victory in the previous season.
Because of his two goals in City’s 3-0 triumph at Old Trafford earlier this season, Haaland has now scored five goals in four different derbies at this point in the season.
In Sunday’s 3-1 victory, he scored the game-winning goal, bringing his total for the match to six goals. Phil Foden’s brace and Marcus Rashford’s outstanding opener both contributed to the fact that those two Manchester United players scored a combined total of six goals in the derby.
Where does this leave the phenomenon of Norwegian players scoring goals in the overall rankings for the Manchester derby to be found?
All-time highest scorers in the Manchester derby between Manchester United and Manchester City
The legendary overhead kick that Wayne Rooney scored for Manchester United in February 2011 at Old Trafford to give United a 2-1 victory against Manchester City is widely regarded as one of the most memorable goals in the lengthy history of this matchup.
Additionally, it was a part of Rooney’s collection of eleven derby strikes, which places him at the top of the all-time standings.
Francis Lee and Joe Hayes, both of City, are currently in second place with ten goals each, one goal ahead of Bobby Charlton, a famous player for both United and England, and Sergio Aguero, who is Rooney’s contemporary.
RankPlayerClub Goals1.Wayne RooneyUnited112.Joe HayesCity10=Francis LeeCity104.Sergio AgueroCity9=Bobby CharltonUnited96.Colin BellCity 8=Eric CantonaUnited8=Brian KiddUnited (5)/City (3)8=Joe SpenceUnited 810.Paul ScholesUnited7=Dennis VioletUnited7 Marcus RashfordUnited6 Erling HaalandCity6 Phil FodenCity 6
Following a group of four players who have scored eight goals in a derby, including Eric Cantona and Colin Bell, who were both transformative presences for their respective teams during their respective eras in the 1990s and 1960s, United heroes Paul Scholes and Dennis Violet have each scored seven goals.
It is possible for Haaland to catch up to them if he achieves the same level of success as he did at Old Trafford this weekend. If he were to score a hat trick for the ninth time for City, he would be in the top ten. If the 23-year-old player had not just scored five goals in his previous match, which was against Luton Town in the FA Cup, it would have been difficult to make a prediction about either of the two outcomes.
Who is the player against whom Erling Haaland has scored the most goals?
If it is any relief to the United defenders that he has tortured over the past few of seasons (it is important to note that Haaland did not score in either the 2023 FA Cup final or the Old Trafford derby from the previous season), they can take comfort in the knowing that they are not alone.
The current position of United is tied for third place on Haaland’s career hit chart, despite the fact that he reached six goals against Sevilla and Wolfsberger in fewer matches.
For the first time in City’s history, Haaland became the first player to score five goals in two successive matches with his recent performance against Luton. In the previous season, he achieved the same thing in a Champions League thumping of RB Leipzig by a score of 7-0, and the east Germans are maybe the most productive opponents he has faced in his career.
Erling Haaland record vs.
Opponent GoalsGamesRB Leipzig128Bayern Munich79Sevilla64Wolfsberger62Manchester United65Wolfsberg55Hertha Berlin54Brann53Fulham53Burnley53Luton Town51