Erling Haaland scored the winner against Manchester United to reach nine Premier League derby goals, moving above Wayne Rooney and Sergio Agüero in the record books.
Erling Haaland makes Manchester derby history after winner against Man Utd
Erling Haaland has made Manchester derby history after scoring the only goal in Manchester City’s dramatic 1-0 victory over Manchester United at Old Trafford.
The Norwegian striker found the net in the 60th minute despite City playing with 10 men following Phil Foden’s first-half red card.
It was Haaland’s ninth Premier League goal against United.
That makes him the highest scorer in Manchester derbies in Premier League history.
Haaland scores the derby winner
Manchester City faced a huge challenge after Foden was sent off in the 23rd minute.
United had more than an hour to play with an extra man, but they could not take advantage.
Then Haaland struck.
Josko Gvardiol delivered the ball into the penalty area and Haaland finished in the 60th minute to give City a 1-0 lead.
United pushed for an equaliser and hit the woodwork, but City protected their advantage until the final whistle.
Haaland’s goal therefore became the match-winner.
Haaland breaks the Premier League derby record
The goal also created a major personal milestone for the City striker.
Haaland has now scored nine goals in only eight Premier League appearances against Manchester United.
Before the match, he was level with two Manchester derby legends.
Erling Haaland: 9 goals.
Sergio Agüero: 8 goals.
Wayne Rooney: 8 goals.
Haaland is now alone at the top of the Premier League-era list.
Only eight games needed
The speed of Haaland’s record makes the achievement even more impressive.
He needed only eight Premier League derby appearances to reach nine goals.
Agüero scored his eight in 13 appearances, while Rooney needed 21 games to reach the same number in the Premier League.
That means Haaland is averaging more than one goal per league derby.
For a rivalry known for producing some of the biggest stars in English football, that is an extraordinary scoring rate.
Man Utd have become one of Haaland’s favourite opponents
Haaland has caused United problems almost from the moment he arrived in England.
His first Premier League Manchester derby produced an unforgettable hat-trick in City’s 6-3 victory in 2022.
Since then, he has continued to regularly find the net against United.
His latest goal was very different from that first derby hat-trick.
This time, City were under pressure, playing away from home and down to 10 men.
But Haaland still found the decisive moment.
Important clarification about the record
There is one important detail when describing Haaland’s achievement.
He is now the highest scorer in Manchester derbies in the Premier League, but he is not yet the highest scorer in the complete history of the fixture.
Wayne Rooney still holds the overall Manchester derby record with 11 goals across all competitions.
Joe Hayes and Francis Lee also scored 10.
Haaland is therefore still chasing the all-time record.
But in Premier League matches, he is now number one.
A controversial record-breaking goal
Haaland’s historic goal was also at the centre of a major VAR controversy.
The assistant referee initially raised the flag, but VAR found that Patrick Dorgu had played Haaland onside.
The bigger issue involved Enzo Fernández, who was standing in an offside position and moved towards the ball.
VAR originally decided Fernández had not interfered with play.
However, refereeing body Pro Ref later admitted there had been an “error of judgement” and said referee Michael Oliver should have been advised to review the incident on the pitchside monitor.
The record still stands
Despite that admission, the match result will not change.
Manchester City keep their 1-0 victory, and Haaland’s goal remains officially recorded.
That also means his new derby record remains in place.
Whatever controversy surrounds the decision, officially Haaland now has nine Premier League goals against United.
Haaland moves ahead in the Golden Boot race
The derby winner also continued Haaland’s strong start to the new Premier League season.
He now has four league goals in the opening four matches of the 2026/27 campaign.
That puts him at the top of the early Golden Boot standings.
After winning the award three times in his first four Premier League seasons, Haaland is once again setting the pace.
Another record for Haaland
Haaland has already broken numerous scoring records since joining Manchester City.
Now he can add another important one to the list.
Nine goals.
Eight Premier League Manchester derbies.
More than Rooney.
More than Agüero.
And his ninth was not just another goal.
It was the winner at Old Trafford while City were playing with 10 men.
Erling Haaland is now officially the highest-scoring player in Manchester derbies in Premier League history.
