Man City games Phil Foden will miss as Michael Oliver explains Man United red card

By Ben Knapton | 13 Sep 2026 17:19, Last updated: 13 Sep 2026 17:19

Manchester City attacker Phil Foden will be slapped with a three-game ban for violent conduct after his sending-off against Manchester United in the Manchester derby.

The England international started alongside Erling Haaland, Rayan Cherki and Antoine Semenyo at Old Trafford, but his race was run with a quarter of the game gone following an incident with Bruno Fernandes.

Foden went down under pressure from Man United captain Fernandes near the touchline, and the Portuguese was then seen lightly kicking the Man City forward on the backside.

Fernandes's action - which was seemingly missed by referee Michael Oliver - triggered a furious reaction from Foden, who retaliated by kicking the midfielder in the stomach with his studs up.

Fernandes fell to the floor in apparent agony as Foden also gave him an earful, but the Englishman's expression turned to shock when Oliver brandished a straight red card, to rapturous applause from Old Trafford.

Phil Foden is SENT OFF in the Manchester derby! ? pic.twitter.com/sDkHoLMnjL

The VAR room unsurprisingly agreed with Oliver's assessment, and Foden begrudgingly jogged across the pitch and down to the tunnel following the first red card of his career.

Foden will now begin a three-match domestic suspension, which applies across all competitions, meaning that he will serve the first game of his ban in Thursday's EFL Cup third-round clash with Norwich City.

The 26-year-old will also sit out the visit of Sunderland to the Etihad on September 20, as well as the high-profile trip to Anfield to face Liverpool on October 11 after the international break.

Foden has therefore played his last Man City game for a month, as he will return against Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League on October 14, before making his Premier League comeback against Ipswich Town on October 17.

Foden's dismissal made the England international just the second Man City player to be sent off in a Premier League Manchester derby, after Bernardo Corradi in 2006.

Shortly after Foden was ejected from the field of play, the Premier League Match Centre revealed the conversation between Oliver and the VAR room at the time of the incident.

Oliver told his colleagues: "Red card Phil Foden – kick out into the body of Bruno," after which the VAR replied: "That looks like a clear red card to me. Looks to be a secondary movement. Confirming the red card for Manchester City No.47."

Foden's three-game ban hands Maresca another attacking dilemma amid Jeremy Doku's absence with a calf injury, although the Belgian might return in time for the clash with Sunderland on September 20.

However, the Sky Blues can also call on new signing Iliman Ndiaye to step in for the banned Foden, as well as Allan and Ryan McAidoo, both of whom should be in line for minutes against Norwich.

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