Early on, it seemed as though an upset could have been in the cards. Contrary to almost everyone's expectations, Marcus Rashford scored a spectacular goal in the eighth minute to put United one goal ahead. One would have expected City to have headed into the half-time break level, but Erling Haaland somehow managed to miss a tap-in which he would almost always have finished off. After the break, however, the skill gap between the two Manchester clubs truly began to evidence itself. Phil Foden scored a stunner of his own to tie the match before going on to score his and City's second in the 80th minute. Haaland would then atone for his earlier error by scoring City's third goal in stoppage time and sealing all three points.
When we look back at this match in years to come, we might end up pinpointing this as the day when Foden truly arrived as an elite player. In addition to his two goals, Foden dominated throughout. He was the focal point of City's attacking thrust right from opening kick-off, attempting nine of City's 27 shots and kickstarting multiple City attacks that could easily have resulted in goals.
In a team containing the likes of Kevin De Bruyne, Erling Haaland, and Rodri, Foden's contributions have often been somewhat overlooked - after all, up until recently he had never been regarded as being quite on that level. However, his performance in the Manchester derby should have put an end to any questions remaining on this matter. Foden is in the midst of a breakout season and might very well be making the toughest leap of all - that from "merely" a top-tier player to a genuine superstar. This match sent a message loud and clear: "I am him". To top it off, as a hometown kid, it's incredibly fitting that he showed out like this in a derby match.
What makes things even more exciting for City is the fact that Foden is still just 23. He's likely around four to five years from hitting his absolute prime - and on his current trajectory, who knows how high his ceiling could end up being. On top of all of that, it bears noting that Foden came through City's academy team. He wasn't one of the countless big-money signings with which City have built their squad - proving that the blue half of Manchester is definitely as capable of developing in-house talent as any other club out there.
On that note, Foden could not have entered the main City squad at a more opportune time - the Pep Guardiola era at Manchester City. All throughout his legendary coaching career, Guardiola has always favoured players of Foden's archetype - and it's exactly this which has been one of the key reasons why Foden's development has been accelerated especially over the past two seasons, potentially ending up a key piece in back-to-back Champions League titles.
Foden's emergence also has implications on the international stage. At this point he ought to be a lock to start for England. As part of an attacking core that already contains Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham, a peak or near-peak Foden could end up being the missing piece who gets the Three Lions over the hump at the 2026 World Cup in North America. Not only that - with Euro 2024 on the horizon and England likely being second favourites behind France, Foden's continued rise could be exactly what they need to claim the continental title for the first time in their history.
It would be somewhat ironic if in spite of all the money they've spent to bring players to the Etihad Stadium, Manchester City's actual "next guy" was there all along from day one. Yet, that's precisely what Phil Foden is becoming before our eyes. Even if not many predicted this would happen at first, it can't be denied anymore.
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