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Manchester City talisman Erling Haaland described his derby hat-trick as “amazing”, while Phil Foden referred to his own treble as a “dream come true” after the pair dominated against Manchester United.
A contest that saw nine goals was never in doubt as Foden and Haaland scored three each in a 6-3 victory for City at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday.
A strike from Antony and an Anthony Martial brace gave United some consolation in the second half, but it was a dominant win for Pep Guardiola’s men.
Foden’s second goal of the day was his 50th in all competitions for City, making him the youngest player to reach that figure under Guardiola at the age of 22 years and 127 days, surpassing Lionel Messi (22y 164d).
Speaking to Sky Sports after the win, Foden hailed the partnership he has already built with Haaland following the latter’s move from Borussia Dortmund.
“Obviously it’s a dream come true [to score a hat-trick], playing in the derby, being a City fan as well,” the England international said.
“Me and Erling have built that connection now and we’re finding each other and it’s a pleasure to be a part of the team.
“I think our determination [showed] from kick-off, we were looking right at it and we finished our chances.”
Haaland became the first player in Premier League history to score hat-tricks in three consecutive games, while also becoming the first City player to score a hat-trick against United since Francis Lee in December 1970, before Foden followed suit shortly after.
“Yeah, not bad,” Haaland joked, also speaking to Sky Sports. “We scored six goals, what can you say? It’s amazing to win at home, score six goals here and yeah, nuts.
“You can see it all the time, the passes we give each other, we always want to go forward, we always want to attack and this is what I love about the team, we always want to go and to attack and yeah, in the end it’s amazing. There’s nothing more to say.”
When asked who was getting the match ball, Foden asked Haaland if they were having one each.
“Yes I think we have to,” the Norwegian assured his team-mate. “One ball for the first half and one for the second half.”
