Manchester City's thumping 6-3 derby day defeat of Manchester United may well be dubbed the 'Erling Haaland derby', but it was his City teammate Phil Foden who broke a record held by one of the greatest players of all time.
Haaland scored a hat-trick and assisted two more goals on his Manchester derby debut, while Foden scored a treble of his own on an incredible afternoon for Pep Guardiola's side. The duo diplomatically shared the Player of the Match award, and while Haaland smashed a number of records of his own, Foden broke one that highlights just how remarkable his rise over the past five years has been.
Foden's second goal just before half-time took his City goal tally to 50, all of which have been scored under Guardiola's tutelage. That Foden has reached that landmark at the age of 22 years and 127 days is remarkable given that the previous youngest player to reach that total under Guardiola was Lionel Messi.
The seven-time Ballon d'Or winner was 22 years and 164 days old when he scored his 50th goal under Guardiola at Barcelona, 37 days older than Foden. The lifelong City fan will no doubt be happy to have broken the record, but if his post-match interview with SkySports was anything to go by then breaking his duck against United is the achievement he will be most proud of.
"Obviously it’s a dream come true playing the derby as a City fan," Foden said. "Me and Erling have built that connection now, we’re finding each other. It’s been a pleasure being a part of this team."
Foden became the first player born in Greater Manchester to score for City against United in the Premier League era, and can count himself unlucky that Haaland just about beat him to becoming the first City player to score a hat-trick in a Manchester derby since 1970.
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