Man Utd found themselves in 11th place on four points, with Man City way down in 16th place with three points to their name from their opening three games.
To that end, supporters might've expected the 197th meeting between the two Premier League giants to be something of a letdown.
Donnarumma debuts as Sesko makes first Premier League start
All of the talk pre-match centred around whether Ruben Amorim would give Benjamin Sesko his first start for the Red Devils in the Premier League - he did - and what team Pep Guardiola was going to put out given he had 11 injuries to key players - by far the most of any Premier League team.
One of those who did start for City was another debutant, Gianluigi Donnarumma, in what was Pep's 600th top-flight league game as a manager (W445 D85 L69). Intriguingly, he's only lost more league games in that time against Tottenham Hotspur (eight) than against Man Utd (six).
The match also represented the first time since October 2011, when the Citizens won 6-1 at Old Trafford, that both they (25y 224d) and United (25y 141d) named a derby line-up with an average of 25 years or younger.
Within 17 seconds of the start, Erling Haaland flashed a shot across goal to get the adrenaline pumping in the stands, after emotions had already been heightened by the pre-match announcement of the death of boxer and City fan, Ricky Hatton.
Foden breaks the deadlock
Sesko extended Donnarumma and Amad Diallo almost got on the end of a through ball as the visitors looked to gain a foothold in the opening exchanges, which they'd dominated with 62.9% of possession.
A congested midfield, but one where Rodri had still managed a 100% pass accuracy in the first 15 minutes, saw chances at a premium.
It took some superb footwork from Jeremy Doku to unsettle the United defence, and his cross saw an unmarked Phil Foden arriving to score his first City goal since January and his seventh against United.
Only against Brighton (eight) has he scored more, with only Sergio Aguero and Wayne Rooney (both with eight) having scored more in the Manchester derby.
It's worth pointing out that the team that had scored first in the derby (Premier League only) on three of the last four occasions had gone on to lose the game, with City's 3-0 win in October 2023 being the exception before this match.
The goal was a cue for some scintillating passing moves and consistent pressure from the hosts, with Manuel Ugarte and Bruno Fernandes completely overrun in central midfield.
United offered nothing in attack
With 30 minutes on the clock, it was clear to see just how much the pendulum had swung in City's favour, their 87.6% passing accuracy more in keeping with the normal Guardiola style of play.
Amorim's side offered nothing by way of an attacking threat in the first 45, with Sesko's shot their only one on target, and just six touches in the City box, three of which came from the boot of Patrick Dorgu.
Indeed, the five shots in the half (four for City, one for United) is the second-fewest on record in the Manchester derby in the Premier League (since 2003/04) after four in October 2015.
City had only lost one of their last 51 Premier League home games in which they led at half-time (W44 D6) too, though that was to the Red Devils in this same fixture last season (1-2).
Haaland the goalscorer supreme
United began the second half on the front foot; however, a slick move from the hosts saw Haaland escape Luke Shaw's clutches to make it two with a fine finish. That gave Guardiola a personal milestone as it was the 1500th goal scored by a team under his tutelage.
Only the woodwork only saved the visitors a few minutes later, as the Norwegian couldn't take advantage of a chaotic defensive mix-up from United.
The Red Devils really only had themselves to blame in Sunday's game, too. At the point when Haaland registered, United had made 16 crosses compared to City's one, made 18 more passes than the hosts in the final third of the pitch and had won more duels.
Donnarumma's flying save to deny Bryan Mbeumo shortly after was noteworthy, and Haaland soon showed how important the save was when he was given the freedom of the Etihad Stadium to slide home City's third.
To put the striker's 11 Premier League goal involvements against United (eight goals, three assists) - the most against any side - into perspective, only Ryan Giggs (13) has more - and the United legend took part in 23 more derbies.
Furthermore, Alan Shearer (47 games) is the only player to have reached 50 home EPL goals in fewer matches in the competition's history than Haaland's 50 games.
Red Devils better in most aspects on the day
As the game drew to its conclusion, Mbeumo's miss from four yards out was indicative of United's day.
A day in which they had more possession (54.9% to 45.1%), played more passes (487 to 415), had a better pass accuracy (84.2% to 82.4%), more touches in the opposition box (29 to 26) and more shots (13 to 12).
With the game well and truly over as a contest after the third goal, City just sat back and contained their opponents.
They allowed United to move forward as and when they pleased, knowing that they had enough about them in defence to repel any sporadic attacks from the visitors.
Although it will be no consolation whatsoever for anyone of a United persuasion, there were enough positives to take away from the game, which could serve them well later in the season.
A side note to proceedings is that there were no cards shown by referee Anthony Taylor, the first time this has happened in a Manchester derby in the Premier League at the 57th time of asking.
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