Martin Keown blown away by 'magnificent' Man City star vs Man United, it's not Erling Haaland or Jeremy Doku
Below is a summary of the full article. Click here for the full version or go back to LFC Live.net.
Credit: Imago / talkSPORT YouTube
Harri Burton
Mon 15 September 2025 17:23, UK
Erling Haaland and Jeremy Doku were not the only star performers as Man City dismantled Man United at the Etihad Stadium.
Pep Guardiola was under huge pressure heading into the Manchester derby on Sunday, 14 September, on the verge of losing three consecutive Premier League matches, a very rare feat for the Catalan.
With the Red Devils being sent home empty-handed, however, Mick Brown told Football Insider that Man United chiefs are losing patience with Ruben Amorim after a tough start to the 2025-26 campaign.
Phil Foden opened the scoring after just, capitalising on incredible skill from Doku, before Haaland sealed all three points with a second-half brace to move the Citizens up to eighth in the Premier League table.
Credit: Imago
While several Man City players earned their flowers during the Manchester derby, Martin Keown gave special mention to Foden after the England international had fallen down the pecking order recently.
“Everyone talks about plus-ones in the modern game.
There are two midfielders outnumbered,” he said on talkSPORT (15 September).
“Phil Foden was magnificent yesterday, by the way.
He knew he’d be able to take control, and you’ve got to give players the platform to go and perform.”
MORE FOOTBALL INSIDER STORIES
Omar Marmoush’s injury gave Foden the chance to shine, and with yet another goal added to his record against the Red Devils, the 25-year-old took the opportunity in his stride at the weekend.
Now, Foden has more goal contributions (nine) against Brighton than against any other team, moving level on eight versus both Man United and Bournemouth.
Before starting in the Manchester derby, the 25-year-old had been handed just 25 minutes of football in the league, a stat which caused Ally McCoist to be concerned for Foden‘s England career.
The star has fallen down Guardiola’s pecking order in recent months, with a plethora of new signings preferred ahead of him, but he showed the manager exactly what the team was missing.
His display against United should give the manager plenty to think about, especially with Marmoush sidelined for the next few weeks, and fans will be hoping to see more of him this season.