Manchester City defeats Manchester United with a controversial goal by Haaland, and Arteta expresses his “sorrow” at the state of football.

Manchester City defeated its host Manchester United with a goal scored by Erling Haaland, which sparked widespread controversy over its legitimacy. Mikel Arteta, Arsenal's coach, strongly criticized the decision to award a penalty kick in favor of Sunderland during his team's victory, and expressed his feeling of "sadness" about the state of football.

The Guardian reviews here the highlights of the fourth round of the English Premier League:

Carrick faces a major challenge in his career with United

The 199th Manchester derby match was affected by two prominent refereeing decisions: the red card received by Phil Foden in the first half due to his intervention on Bruno Fernandes, and the VAR referee’s intervention to award the winning goal scored by Erling Haaland despite what appeared to be interference from Enzo Fernandes in the game while he was in a clear offside position. In both cases, a little common sense could have led to a completely different outcome.

The jury admitted that Haaland's goal should not have been counted. However, it is difficult to say that the final result was harsh on Manchester United; Foden's expulsion gave the hosts a huge opportunity that they failed to exploit, and Brian Mbeumo's best chance came in stoppage time.

Michael Carrick started his career by winning the derby match at his team's stadium, with a score of two unanswered goals, against a fully-fledged team last January, so this match seemed like a decline for the young coach, who was unable to find a way to control the course of the match. Carrick also expressed his complaint that Manchester City had two additional days of rest after the Champions League matches, but in return he chose to keep Fernandes and other players on the field throughout the ninety minutes during the easy 4-0 win over the Azerbaijani Sabah team!

Manchester United's next two matches in the English Premier League will be: away to Fulham, and at home to Tottenham; Carrick will have to be more intelligent to prevent the early season stumble from turning into a more serious crisis.

Mariska's plan comes to fruition

The red card that Foden received was also a big test for Enzo Maresca, who was leading his first derby match as Manchester City manager. After a strong, but not impressive, start to the season in the English Premier League, this match could have turned into a painful memory for the team after the numerical shortage (playing with 10 players). Instead, the Italian coach made smart decisions that ensured a good result and enabled the team to continue chasing Arsenal at the top. As the two teams have already begun to move away from their expected rivals.

Maresca only made one change in the first 80 minutes, but bringing on Elimane Ndiaye for Rayan Chergui gave his side a greater direct threat via quick counter-attacks. The other two new players: Enzo Fernandes and Elliot Anderson, adapted very quickly to the team; Anderson gave a strong performance and dominated the midfield during the second half. In the back line, Mark Guehi did not commit any significant mistakes. The team showed defensive solidity that it lacked previously. Although Haaland's winning goal was a stroke of luck - to say the least - the visiting team's performance in the second half made it worth the full three points. (Manchester United 0-1 Manchester City).

Brighton sweeps Coventry City

On another day, any of the brilliant individual goals scored by Charalambos Kostaulas, Malik Yalkoyi and Yacine Ayari could have stolen the show as Brighton demolished Coventry City 5-0. However, none of it lived up to Lewis Dunk's stunning volley from 35 yards, which curled into the top corner of the goal.

It may seem unreasonable for a centre-back to think about shooting from such a long distance, but Dank confirmed that he has “this type of shot up his sleeve.” Technical director Fabian Hortziller said that everyone at the club is fully aware of the player's shooting skill. Dunk was one of 5 players to score goals on Sunday, as Brighton continues to prove its ability to provide a different performance than last season, when Danny Welbeck was the biggest attacking threat by scoring 13 goals in the English Premier League.

8 players scored goals during 4 league matches; Who really needs a star striker when the centre-back can strike the ball so spectacularly? (Coventry City 0-5 Brighton).

Arteta's "sadness" underestimates Sunderland

This season, referees are supposed to tighten control over cases of clashes, grabbing, and pulling shirts while executing set pieces, but until the 58th minute of the match held at Al Noor Stadium, Sunderland and Arsenal players escaped punishment in many situations during corner kicks and throw-ins. The irony lies in the fact that the decision of the referee, John Brooks, to punish Ezri Konsa - for knocking Dan Ballard to the ground while taking a throw-in - and award a penalty kick to Sunderland (a decision supported by the VAR), sparked widespread controversy. There was a strong view that it was Ballard's clever "judo move" that got Konsa - who was not innocent, of course - into deep trouble. Although goalkeeper David Raya's brilliant save made the penalty kick taken by Enzo Lo Fei have no real impact on the result, Mikel Arteta appeared afterward in a state of extreme anger and dissatisfaction. He overreacted, saying he felt "sad" about the state of football, and spoke of his desire to "protect the game."

Two minutes after Law missed the penalty kick, Bruno Guimarães scored with a brilliant shot, leaving Arsenal on course for a 2-0 win - decided by a late penalty kick from Bukayo Saka - continuing their perfect start to the season.

However, Sunderland performed well and deserved more credit than Arteta, who was less than gracious in his comments. (Sunderland 0-2 Arsenal).

Weak midfield worries Iraola

Andoni Iraola is bound to discover some unpleasant truths during the learning phase of his Liverpool career. The second consecutive draw in the English Premier League at Anfield - which is the team’s seventh draw in 12 matches in 2026 - revealed several things. From the lack of confidence in Kostas Tsimikas' performance as a starting player, to the defensive vulnerabilities in the midfield duo of Ryan Gravenberch and Dominik Soboslai. Iraola was forced to make some changes due to time constraints after the match the team played last Wednesday in the Champions League against Atletico Madrid - his first experience playing such a match with Liverpool - as the absence of Alexis McAllister had a negative impact on the team beyond what the coach had imagined.

Gravenberch and Soboslai did not show much strength against the Fulham team, which easily penetrated Liverpool's ranks, and they - along with Florian Wirtz - did not offer much to Liverpool's sterile attack, which cost the club's treasury huge sums of money. Iraola admitted: “Liverpool is suffering physically and offensively.” (Liverpool 0-0 Fulham).

Tottenham, led by De Zerbe, is still unable to score

Tottenham manager Roberto De Zerbe insisted that there was “no problem” between him and Matthijs Tille, although no one seriously suggested there was such a problem. The Italian coach said: “I love Matisse as a player and as a person.” However, it was not a good day for Till; He was excluded from his team's starting lineup against Everton, and received instructions on the field from De Zerbe on how to play as an outright striker. De Zerbe had moved Till to this position in the final stages of the match, after initially fielding him in his preferred position as a left winger.

De Zerbe's advice centered on the necessity of playing on the opponent's defensive line, and attacking the six-yard area. Till was not to blame for Tottenham's attacking sterility in the final third; Rather, the real concern revolved around Dominic Solanke and how another match in the English Premier League passed without any significant impact. Omar Marmoush was also ineffective; He played first on the left flank, then briefly as a striker after replacing Solanke. It is true that injuries have hampered Solanke's career, but scoring 12 goals in the English Premier League since joining the team for 55 million pounds in August 2024 is completely insufficient. (Tottenham 0-0 Everton).

Chelsea's defense is still struggling

Chelsea does not master the art of defending as required; The first goal scored by Hull City was the best evidence of this. Ryan Giles physically outplayed Malou Gusto, and Mohamed Belloumi scored the equaliser, after Jurel Hato misjudged a cross sent in by the Hull City left-back, a goal that Xabi Alonso described as the result of “weak” defence.

The Chelsea manager took Hato off at half-time, but the problems are not limited to one individual; Goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez, who was hired to replace Robert Sanchez, has not performed convincingly so far. Wesley Fofana's performance is still deceiving (he appears at a good level sometimes, but he makes influential mistakes that cost the team a lot), while Levi Colwell is trying to regain his level after injury, and Maxence Lacroix surprisingly sat on the bench against Hull City.

Chelsea have conceded 12 goals in their first six matches under Alonso in all competitions; The team still lacks seriousness. (Chelsea 2-2 Hull City).

Makati finally succeeds in regaining his level with Nottingham

Oliver Glasner was constantly mentioning James McAtee's name before the start of the season, confirming that the player - who joined from Manchester City last summer for 30 million pounds - was finally able to shine in a Nottingham Forest shirt. The player's performance in the match that witnessed the team's first victory this season - against Aston Villa - was further evidence of the player's recovery of vitality and activity.

Glasner is confident the 23-year-old can excel in the late bloomer playmaker role he previously assigned to Adam Wharton at Crystal Palace. Makati has started in all four matches played by the team in the English Premier League this season, which is double the number of matches he started last season. He was taken off between half-time of the two matches he started against Utrecht and Wrexham at the beginning of the new year. But against Aston Villa, McAtee showed great confidence and enjoyed imposing his control over the course of the game.

Glasner is the fifth coach to coach Makati at Nottingham Forest in 13 months, but the Austrian coach is considered one of the biggest admirers of his abilities and talent. (Aston Villa 1 - 2 Nottingham Forest).

* The Guardian service