Who has scored the most goals in the Manchester derby? Erling Haaland chasing Wayne Rooney on Man City-Man United list

Dom Farrell

Who has scored the most goals in the Manchester derby? Erling Haaland chasing Wayne Rooney on Man City-Man United list image

Manchester City faced Manchester United in the latest derby match on September 14, with both teams having had troubled starts to the 2025/26 Premier League season.

It's a fixture that Phil Foden and Erling Haaland have come to enjoy in recent years, and it was fitting that both got on the scoresheet as Pep Guardiola's team took control of the game.

Haaland is no stranger to goal-scoring feats of brilliance, of course, but it is remarkable that he is one of the leading marksmen in this fixture given he only joined City in 2022.

Where does that leave the Norwegian phenomenon in the overall Manchester derby rankings?

Who has scored the most goals in the Manchester derby? 

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.

RankPlayerClub Goals
1.Wayne RooneyUnited11
2.Joe HayesCity10
=Francis LeeCity10
4.Sergio AgueroCity9
=Bobby CharltonUnited9
=Erling HaalandCity9
7.Colin BellCity 8
=Eric CantonaUnited8
=Brian KiddUnited (5)/City (3)8
=Joe SpenceUnited 8
=Phil FodenCity8
12.Paul ScholesUnited7
=Dennis VioletUnited7
 Marcus RashfordUnited6

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.

MORE: Bobby Charlton and Francis Lee: The men who made the Manchester derby's golden era

Dom Farrell

Dom is the senior content producer for Sporting News UK. He previously worked as fan brands editor for Manchester City at Reach Plc. Prior to that, he built more than a decade of experience in the sports journalism industry, primarily for the Stats Perform and Press Association news agencies. Dom has covered major football events on location, including the entirety of Euro 2016 and the 2018 World Cup in Paris and St Petersburg respectively, along with numerous high-profile Premier League, Champions League and England international matches. Cricket and boxing are his other major sporting passions and he has covered the likes of Anthony Joshua, Tyson Fury, Wladimir Klitschko, Gennadiy Golovkin and Vasyl Lomachenko live from ringside.