Oasis cited as Phil Foden responds to Ruben Dias’ Man City message
Manchester City returned to winning ways in the Premier League with a Phil Foden-inspired victory over their arch-rivals.
Both Pep Guardiola‘s Man City and Ruben Amorim’s Manchester United went into Sunday’s derby at the Etihad Stadium in low ebbs of form, winning just once each in the first three matches of the new season.
Football Insider revealed on 5 September that pressure was being applied on Guardiola after back-to-back losses against Tottenham and Brighton, but Man City bounced back in style to beat their rivals 3-0.
Erling Haaland grabbed all the headlines with a brace to equal Sergio Aguero’s record in Manchester derbies, but the Norwegian’s goals came after Foden had justified Guardiola’s decision to give him his first start of the campaign.
‘Believe’ – Ruben Dias rallies Man City after derby victory
Foden’s form since winning the 2023–24 PFA Player of the Year award has tailed off, but the England star’s superbly-timed header into the far corner on 18 minutes kicked off a dominant Man City display.
The Blues’ 3-0 victory didn’t come without work to do at both ends, with Bryan Mbeumo being Man United’s standout player and forcing Gianluigi Donnarumma into a top-class save on his City debut.
Donnarumma and his back four of Nico O’Reilly, Josko Gvardiol, Abdukodir Khusanov and Ruben Dias held on for a deserved clean sheet, however, and the latter posted on Instagram to celebrate the result.
Dias’ message simply said “Manchester is Blue” and included a flag featuring the lyrics “we believe in one another” from Oasis’ song ‘Acquiesce’, as Foden responded with two light blue ‘heart’ emojis.
Pep Guardiola places sack pressure back on Ruben Amorim
Football Insider Verdict
Guardiola may have been under pressure to deliver in Man City’s biggest game of the season so far after two defeats in a row, but Foden and Haaland’s goals certainly relieved that pressure for the Spaniard.
The same can’t be said for Amorim in the opposing dugout, however, and United’s former chief scout Mick Brown has told Football Insider that the patience of Jim Ratcliffe and the board is wearing thin.
Man City’s result and manner of victory merely underlined the vast flipping of fortunes that has occurred across recent years for the two clubs, and Dias’ statement of “Manchester is Blue” has been the case for some time.