Kyle Walker atoned for handing his former club Sheffield United an 85th‑minute equaliser by playing a key role in Rodri’s winner three minutes later as Manchester City extended their flawless start to the defence of their Premier League title.
City remain the last top-flight team with a 100% start but this was nothing like as straightforward as their FA Cup semi-final win against these opponents last spring as Paul Heckingbottom’s newly promoted team gave it full throttle after Erling Haaland’s 63rd‑minute opener and even had the audacity to pull level through Jayden Bogle before succumbing to Rodri’s latest key goal.
Anyone expecting a routine City win was disabused of the notion as Haaland missed another penalty in the first half to give United hope. But they rallied and for the first time since Pep Guardiola’s first season in charge in 2016 City have won their opening three league games. Still, perhaps the manager, recuperating from back surgery in Barcelona, may contact Walker for a quiet chat after his new captain allowed Bénie Traoré to steal the ball in his own area in the buildup to United’s goal.
The danger was only partially cleared and Vini Souza came crashing in to tackle, the ball skewing out wide to Bogle, a substitute, on the right edge of City’s area, to crack a shot past Ederson – and past Oli McBurnie, deemed not to be interfering with the goalkeeper’s sightline – into the far corner. Cue bedlam at Bramall Lane as United sensed they could gain an unlikely first point of the season.
Walker hung his head, back at the ground where he made his breakthrough, but picked himself up to make the crucial tackle at the other end, robbing Yasser Larouci of the ball in the far corner, and composed himself to pull a pass back for the substitute Phil Foden.
The ball fell back for Rodri, the scorer of City’s Champions League final winner in June, to lash the ball into the top corner. It was a coruscating denouement to a rousing game that will give both teams much encouragement in different ways.
Heckingbottom, the United manager, said: “I’m pleased with the performance. The reason I’m so disappointed we’ve lost a point is for the players and the fans – how important that one point will be at the end of the season, who knows – but my focus has to be on the performance.”
Juanma Lillo said he would have preferred not to have taken up Guardiola’s seat in the away dugout. “He’s been totally present [in communication] today,” the assistant manager said. “If there’d been more space on the bench, I wouldn’t have sat in his seat on the bench. Pep’s seat is Pep’s seat. Only his [physical] presence was missing today but he was with us for the whole time.”
For all their clinical play, City have now missed three of their past five penalties, excluding shootouts, going back to Haaland missing the target in the Champions League quarter-final against Bayern Munich in April.
This latest opportunity came eight minutes before half-time. Julián Álvarez chipped a cross against the arm of John Egan as the United captain went to ground in an attempt to block. Haaland, however, crashed his left-footed shot against the inside of the post as Wes Foderingham dived the other way.
United hope they have found the goalscorer to help ignite their survival battle as they introduced Cameron Archer – their eighth summer signing, at £18m from Aston Villa, too late for a debut here – to the crowd before the game. Heckingbottom is expecting to add more new players before the transfer deadline on Friday.
Even in this third successive defeat United were game, well organised and had a plan to break on the counter through the front pairing of Traoré and Will Osula. It was after they went behind midway through the second half that the shackles came off. Gustavo Hamer, with a ferocious shot blocked, and then Anel Almedhodzic, firing just over after Ederson punched clear, mustered their first efforts at goal.
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City dominated without finding full tempo in the first half. Foderingham saved well from Álvarez and a great cross from Walker was begging to be finished at the back post. City had 85% of possession at this stage but the half-time whistle was greeted euphorically by home supporters.
The European champions played higher at the start of the second half but every time they missed one of a plethora of chances, the decibel levels just went up as the home crowd scented a narrative moulded to their dreams.
Even when City scored, Haaland leaping high at the far post to thud home Jack Grealish’s cross, Bramall Lane immediately rallied with cries of “United, United”. Back came the riposte: “We’re champions of Europe, we score when we want.” Ultimately it seemed they were right, much to Walker’s relief.
