Manchester City host Manchester United on Sunday and Etihad Stadium editions of the derby have been goal-laden affairs in the past two seasons.
Pep Guardiola’s side were 4-1 winners in March 2022 as Kevin De Bruyne and Riyad Mahrez scored two apiece, while Erling Haaland and Phil Foden upped the ante with a couple of hat-tricks in a 6-3 win last term.
Haaland’s brace in City’s 3-0 victory at Old Trafford earlier this season means he is already on to five goals in four derbies.
Where does that leave the Norwegian goalscoring phenomenon in the overall Manchester derby rankings?
MORE: Man City vs Man United prediction, odds, expert betting tips, preview for Manchester derby
Manchester derby all-time top scorers in Man United vs. Man City
Wayne Rooney’s iconic overhead kick to snatch a 2-1 win for United over City at Old Trafford in February 2011 stands as one of the greatest goals in the long history of this fixture.
It was also part of a haul of 11 derby strikes that puts Rooney top of the all-time standings.
City duo Francis Lee and Joe Hayes are up next on 10 apiece, one ahead of United and England great Bobby Charlton and Rooney’s contemporary Sergio Aguero.
| Rank | Player | Club | Goals |
| 1. | Wayne Rooney | United | 11 |
| 2. | Joe Hayes | City | 10 |
| = | Francis Lee | City | 10 |
| 4. | Sergio Aguero | City | 9 |
| = | Bobby Charlton | United | 9 |
| 6. | Colin Bell | City | 8 |
| = | Eric Cantona | United | 8 |
| = | Brian Kidd | United (5)/City (3) | 8 |
| = | Joe Spence | United | 8 |
| 10. | Paul Scholes | United | 7 |
| = | Dennis Violet | United | 7 |
| Erling Haaland | City | 5 |
After a cluster of four players on eight derby goals, including Eric Cantona and Colin Bell — each transformative presences for their clubs during their respective eras in the 1990s and 1960s — United heroes Paul Scholes and Dennis Violet have seven each.
Haaland can pull level with them if he matches his Old Trafford brace this weekend, while a ninth City hat-trick would put him in the top 10 outright. Predicting either might feel outlandish had the 23-year-old not just plundered five goals in his previous outing against Luton Town in the FA Cup.
MORE: Bobby Charlton and Francis Lee: The men who made the Manchester derby’s golden era
Who has Erling Haaland scored the most goals against?
If it’s any consolation to the United defenders he has tormented over the past 18 months (it is worth noting Haaland didn’t score in either the 2023 FA Cup final or last season’s Old Trafford derby), they can take solace in the fact that they are not alone.
The Red Devils are one of seven clubs Haaland has five career goals against across his spells with Molde, Salzburg, Borussia Dortmund and City. In the case of Luton, it was the fruits of one night’s work.
That made Haaland the first player in City history to five goals in two separate matches. He did likewise in a 7-0 Champions League thrashing of RB Leipzig last term and the east Germans are the most fruitful opponents of his career.
Erling Haaland record vs.
| Opponent | Goals | Games |
| RB Leipzig | 12 | 8 |
| Bayern Munich | 7 | 9 |
| Sevilla | 10 | 4 |
| Wolfsberger | 6 | 2 |
| Wolfsberg | 5 | 5 |
| Hertha Berlin | 5 | 4 |
| Manchester United | 5 | 4 |
| Brann | 5 | 3 |
| Fulham | 5 | 3 |
| Burnley | 5 | 3 |
| Luton Town | 5 | 1 |
