Manchester City vs Manchester United s best player in the game: Ellin Haaland

Ellyn Haaland once again proved his ability when Manchester City beat Manchester United with three goals at the Etihad Stadium in the early hours of Sunday (14 September 2025).

The Norwegian striker made him undisputedly the best player of the game because of his two goals, but also his complete performance.

This victory is crucial for Manchester City, as they have lost twice in a row. In a stressful moment, Haaland responded to Guardiola's expectations with an almost perfect performance.

The two halfs of the court have had a huge impact

The data from this derby show that Haaland is not just the endorseor in the opponent's penalty area. He had nine touches in the dangerous area and six into his own defense. His dual role makes Manchester City more balanced.

When United attempts to attack through crosses, Haaland often becomes an extra post. He cleared six times, four of which were headers. Only Ruben Dias has a higher record on the City's backline.

His climax performance came soon. After helping the back defense stabilize, he immediately returned to the frontcourt and scored his second goal for Manchester City with a clinically-like treatment, which was thrilled by the audience.

Braus Haaland, almost completed two hat tricks, put the perfect end to Haaland. His second goal came in a one-on-one with Altai Beindir, who showed extraordinary calm and beat the opponent's goalkeeper.

Although he had a chance to miss a golden opportunity in the empty gate, his confidence did not diminish at all. He continued to create threats throughout the game and eventually scored two goals, cementing his position as the deadliest striker at the moment.

Phil Foden even praised his teammates as "all-round bag". According to him, Haaland is not only good at scoring goals, but is also willing to come out to help defend.

New record, the threat to Sherard

has scored two more goals for Manchester United, Haaland has now scored 90 goals in the Premier League. Even more impressive is that he scored 50 goals in just 50 league home games, a record tied with Allen Hiller, despite the Newcastle Legend completing the feat in 47 games.

Under the constraints of the new contract, until 2034, Haaland's chance to chase Sherar's 260 goals became more realistic. If he can maintain this stability, he can surpass the legend's record in just about five full seasons.

Former Arsenal player Theo Walcott even called Haaland a "beast". In his opinion, the striker's advantage lies in his simplicity: he knows when to attack, when to save his strength, and when he must defeat his opponent.

The insatiable goal machine

Guardiola himself also does not doubt that he will give praise. According to the coach, Haaland's current performance is more mature than the 2022/2023 season. "He's special and has been stable since he arrived. All we need is that he keeps scoring goals and helping the team," Pep said.

With such a comprehensive performance, Haaland is not only a nightmare for the opponent's defense, but also a record-making machine in the Premier League. To be sure, the Norwegian striker has a long journey and every game against Manchester City seems to be writing a new chapter in the history of the Etihad Stadium.