Manchester City is dominating the derby in the 2025-26 Premier League season. After just over an hour’s play, City is up 3-0 against Manchester United thanks to goals from Phil Foden and Erling Haaland. And Haaland hasn’t just scored—he’s broken some appalling derby records, even overtaking Wayne Rooney in certain goal involvement stats.
Erling Haaland has now recorded 6 goals and 3 assists in 8 Premier League Manchester Derbies during his time at City.That gives him nine direct goal involvements (goals + assists) in just eight matches.
In comparison, Wayne Rooney notched 11 total goals in Manchester derbies across his entire United career—a huge feat—but he managed fewer total goal contributions (goals + assists) in that category, especially in fewer or similar number of matches.
Another remarkable stat: Haaland achieved his nine goal involvements vs. United in just 8 games, while Rooney required many more matches to reach comparable numbers. This signals just how lethal Haaland has been in these high-pressure rivalry games.
The latest Derby: Putting the record further away
In this current derby, City leads 3-0 by the 68th minute. Foden opened the scoring, then Haaland added two more, with the latest putting him at six Premier League goals against United along with those three assists.
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If he continues in this form, Haaland is not just chasing Rooney—he’s demolishing previous benchmarks set by legends. These performances underscore how City have tilted the balance in the City-United rivalry.
What it means for Rooney’s legacy
Rooney remains Manchester United’s top league goal scorer in the derby, with 11 goals. But Haaland’s impact in goal involvements (goals + assists) in fewer games is now being compared favorably—even surpassing some of Rooney’s output in modern times.
So while Rooney’s legacy is firmly cemented, Haaland is carving out a new chapter in the rivalry with statistics that are hard to ignore.
