Right from the moment Phil Foden received a red card, Erling Haaland immediately approached his teammate, taking him off the field as if wanting to send a message that the rest of the match would be taken care of by Man City. Then, when Harry Maguire collided with Enzo Fernandez, Haaland once again appeared to ask his teammate to stay calm.
Before the match, he was also the one who proactively led the group of Man City players towards the stands to thank the fans. When the final whistle sounded, Haaland continued to stand in the center position in the celebration, urging Iliman Ndiaye and Fernandez to look towards the away team's fans.
Those images show that Haaland is taking on a different role at Man City. He is too familiar with becoming a hero with goals, but now the Norwegian striker also wants to become a spiritual support for the whole team.
With the absence of players like Rodri, Bernardo Silva and John Stones and others who have left, we need players to stand up as leaders and he is doing it" - Enzo Maresca said.
Last season, Haaland was in Pep Guardiola's leadership group. After Maresca took over Man City, he quickly appointed the Norwegian striker as vice-captain. Haaland seems to be taking that responsibility seriously.
At Old Trafford, he is not only waiting for the ball in the penalty area. Haaland also participates in the playing style, competing for both aerial and ground balls, holding the ball when necessary and moving non-stop. He runs nearly 11 km in the match and especially strives to maintain the spirit for his teammates after Man City is only 10 people from the 23rd minute.
Maresca even joked that Haaland's mood could affect the whole team: "As long as we make Haaland happy, then we are all happy".
Haaland's positivity is also clearly shown in his way of talking about Maresca's tactics. After Foden was sent off, Man City was forced to change their playing style. They switched to a tighter defense and waited for counter-attack opportunities.
Maresca gave us a plan in the half-time break. We can promote different strengths and counter-attack more. As for me, I just need to be there, wait for opportunities and be ready to take advantage of them when they come" - Haaland shared.
Haaland himself also contributed to the victory with the only goal of the match. He only touched the ball 30 times and appeared in Man United's penalty area 2 times, but one of those two situations was enough to decide the derby match.
Haaland's finishing ability is no longer unfamiliar, but the finish at Old Trafford still shows the quality of one of the top strikers in the Premier League. This goal raised his record to 6 goals after 4 matches this season.
Unfortunately, Haaland's goal later became the focus of controversy due to a serious VAR error. However, that does not change a reality: Haaland is having an impressive start to the season both professionally and in his role in the dressing room.
