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MANCHESTER, March 3 (Reuters) – Phil Foden stored Manchester Metropolis’s Premier League title problem bang on monitor with an excellent second-half double as his facet hit again to clinch a 3-1 house win over Manchester United on Sunday.
Marcus Rashford’s eighth-minute thunderbolt gave United the lead in opposition to the run of play and it appeared just like the guests would possibly put a dent in Metropolis’s hopes of a fourth successive crown.
However Pep Guardiola’s facet remained affected person, dominated possession and had been finally rewarded with Foden once more proving how indispensable he now’s for Metropolis.
Foden arrowed a elegant effort into the highest nook within the 56th minute and the England ahead then produced a scientific end with 10 minutes of regular time remaining.
Erling Haaland, who missed a golden first-half likelihood, secured the factors with a late strike.
Reigning champions Metropolis, whose unbeaten run in all competitions now stands at 19, moved to 62 factors, one behind leaders Liverpool who they go to subsequent weekend.
United, who suffered their eleventh league defeat of the season, stay in sixth place with 44 factors.
Rashford’s bolt from the blue might need floored lesser sides however Erik ten Hag’s United might have few complaints on the manner Metropolis turned issues round — coming from behind to win a Premier League derby for the primary time.
Metropolis had 74% possession and 27 efforts on objective in comparison with United’s three however for all the worldwide expertise on show, it was native boy Foden who discovered the important thing to the lock.
The 23-year-old was given a standing ovation as he walked off after taking a knock in stoppage time — Metropolis’s followers buoyant at maintaining the stress proper on Liverpool and Arsenal.
“That is my intention, to show up within the massive video games,” Foden, who has now matched his file of 11 league objectives in a marketing campaign, stated. “This season I am proving that.”
Metropolis camped in United’s half within the opening minutes however had been shocked when from the guests’ first foray ahead Bruno Fernandes rolled a move again into the trail of Rashford who immediately launched a 25-metre effort that crashed off the underside of the bar and into the online.
Rashford had different possibilities too, miss-controlling after being despatched clear quickly after and later failing to attach with a volley on the far publish when well-positioned.
Metropolis probed United’s defence regularly and finally opened it up just for Haaland to one way or the other sidefoot over the bar from Foden’s headed cross with halftime approaching.
It was an unimaginable miss from such a deadly striker however there was no sense of panic and the sample continued after the break with Metropolis penning United into their very own half.
It appeared prefer it would possibly want some magic to crack United’s resistance and Foden offered it.
Receiving the ball on the appropriate, simply exterior the realm, Foden skipped inside and struck a fierce left-foot shot that was equally as spectacular as Rashford’s effort.
It relieved the stress and Metropolis stored urgent and Foden put them forward within the eightieth minute with a low left-foot shot throughout Andre Onana after being performed in by Julian Alvarez.
Haaland wouldn’t be denied his objective and obtained in on the act in stoppage time with a trademark left-foot end to emphasize the gulf in school between the 2 sides.
On the title race, Guardiola stated: “We won’t management what Liverpool or Arsenal, Aston Villa or different contenders do, it’s about us. We do what we’ve to do to win at the moment, subsequent Wednesday and Sunday. This staff is famous.”
(Reporting by Martyn Herman Enhancing by Toby Davis)