Manchester City thrashed United at the Etihad with a Haaland brace and a goal from Phil Foden, while Mohamed Salah’s late penalty secured victory for Liverpool and kept the reigning champions at the top of the standings.

Premier League action returned with the 197th Manchester Derby as Pep Guardiola’s men sailed past United to claim the win. The game also saw new signings Gianluigi Donnarumma and Benjamin Šeško make their starting debuts for their club.

City opened the scoresheet with an early header from Phil Foden, the homegrown star nodding in from a superb Jeremy Doku delivery, making it seven goals in his last seven Manchester derbies.

The Red Devils tried to level the game but went into the break a goal down. Minutes after the restart, Doku was involved again, this time setting up Erling Haaland to score in his 150th appearance for the club, doubling City’s advantage.

United came close but were denied by a stunning stop from Donnarumma, who parried away an incredible volley from Mbeumo to secure a debut clean sheet for the Italian international.

Manchester City continued to trouble United’s shaky backline, with Bernardo Silva threading a brilliant pass from 20 yards to find Haaland. The Norwegian striker beat Bayındır with an angled finish to extend the lead for the home side.

Three goals down, United lacked attacking threat, prompting changes that saw Joshua Zirkzee make his campaign debut alongside the introduction of Casemiro to salvage something.

With 15 minutes left, City launched a sharp counterattack, but Dutch midfielder Tijjani Reijnders failed to convert, missing a chance to put his side four goals up.

City sealed a dominant derby victory and now turns its focus to Thursday’s Champions League clash with reigning Italian champions Napoli.

The heavy defeat piles pressure on manager Rúben Amorim, with scrutiny over the club’s goalkeeping decisions having loaned André Onana to Turkish side Trabzonspor and the team’s inconsistent performances despite reduced expectations in European competition.

The derby for Amorim’s side lacked pride, with poor defensive organisation, wrong decisions, and uninspired substitutions, once again showing a lack of passion. Meanwhile, Guardiola’s crisis eases following the club’s recent defeats.

Over at Turf Moor, Liverpool survived a scare against Burnley thanks to a late winner. A challenge by Lesley Ugochukwu on Florian Wirtz, while already on a yellow, saw the Burnley man sent off, allowing Salah to convert the decisive penalty that lifted Arne Slot’s side to the top of the table.

Liverpool urn their attention to Wednesday’s Champions League opener against Atletico Madrid at Anfield, with new striker Alexander Isak eager for a bright start.