Haaland-inspired City humbles United

MANCHESTER, England — Manchester City is back to winning ways. Manchester United is back to square one.

City utterly dominated the 197th Manchester derby on Sunday, winning 3-0 on another humbling day for United coach Ruben Amorim.

It could have been so much worse for the red half of Manchester, as City threatened to turn it into a rout at the Etihad Stadium.

Haaland scored twice in the second half — making it seven goals in a week following the five he hit for Norway against Moldova last Tuesday — and also hit the post.

Phil Foden opened the scoring for City with a header in the 18th minute and Pep Guardiola's team never looked back.

The win ended City's two-game losing run in what has been an unconvincing start to the season. The problems are quickly mounting for Amorim, however, in a campaign that has already seen his team suffer a humiliating exit from the English League Cup against fourth-tier Grimsby.

Afterwards Amorim had a message for United fans.

"I will do everything, always thinking about what is best for the club," he said. "I really want to win games, so I'm suffering more than them."

In the day's other Premier League game, Mohamed Salah scored a stoppage-time penalty as Liverpool beat Burnley 1-0 to move back to the top of the standings.

Poor record

United's latest setback came in front of glum-looking co-owner Jim Ratcliffe, who hired Amorim last year to return the 20-time English champion to the summit of European soccer, and backed him heavily in the transfer market in the summer.

Any form of comeback feels a long way off right now.

United has won just once in five games in all competitions this season — a 3-2 victory against Burnley, which required a stoppage-time penalty from Bruno Fernandes.

Amorim has only won eight of 31 Premier League games since he was hired last November and, under his watch, United endured its lowest finish in the modern era last season when it placed 15th.

"It's not a record that you should have at Manchester United," he admitted, but Amorim remains adamant his approach is right. "When I want to change my philosophy, I will change. If not, you have to change the man," he said. "I believe in my way, and I'm going to play my way until I want to change."

The coach added: "I see that we are doing better, but then the result doesn't show that."

Despite Amorim's comments, scoring four points from four games is United's worst start to a season since 1992.

Deadly finisher

Haaland has been in lethal form for club and country this season.

In six games for City and Norway combined, he has scored 11 goals, only failing to find the back of the net in the 2-0 loss to Tottenham last month.

He produced clinical finishes in the 53rd and 68th minutes when running beyond United's defense. He could have had a hat-trick, but slid another effort across goal and against the post.

Teammate Foden described it as a "complete performance" and Guardiola called the Norwegian a "special player".

Late drama

Liverpool left it late again and moved back to the top of the Premier League.

The defending champion preserved its 100 percent start to the season thanks to Salah's penalty.

"We don't give up. We just try to push ourselves and our team to the limit," Salah told Sky Sports.

After late winners against Bournemouth and Newcastle already this term, Liverpool staged another dramatic finale at Turf Moor.

Arne Slot's team looked set to drop points for the first time this season, but was handed a lifeline when Hannibal Mejbri handled the ball in the box and referee Michael Oliver pointed to the spot.

Salah did the rest by blasting a powerful shot past Burnley goalkeeper Martin Dubravka before running away in celebration.

Salah's goal came in the fifth minute of stoppage time and puts him fourth among the all-time Premier League goalscorers. The Egyptian is now on 188 goals — behind Alan Shearer (260), Harry Kane (213) and Wayne Rooney (208).

Late joy for Liverpool, though, was yet more late pain for Burnley, after the newly promoted side lost 3-2 against Manchester United in its last game.

Relief for Slot

According to Premier League statistician Opta, Liverpool is the first team in the division to score winning goals in the final 10 minutes or later in four successive games.

Time will tell if so many late victories point to a winning mentality or deeper-rooted problems for a team that often needs to get itself out of jail.

Against a Burnley team down to 10 men after Lesley Ugochukwu was sent off in the 84th minute, Liverpool needed an error from Mejbri to rescue the points, with the midfielder handling Jeremie Frimpong's cross.

"We needed a moment of luck, or a moment of magic. We didn't have the magic, but we had the luck," Slot told the BBC. "You are hoping and trying ... but they were strong."

Agencies Via Xinhua