The game marked a rare instance where both teams were in the bottom half of the table, with City in 16th place and United in 11th place after three games.
Despite this, the match was not expected to be a letdown, as both teams have a rich history in the Premier League.
Manchester City's manager, Pep Guardiola, made some surprising lineup decisions, including giving a start to debutant goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma, who was making his 600th top-flight league game as a manager.
The match also saw the first time since 2011 that both teams had an average age of 25 years or younger in the starting lineup.
Early in the game, City's Erling Haaland had a shot that flashed across the goal, setting the tone for the match.
Phil Foden broke the deadlock with a goal after some impressive footwork from Jeremy Doku, who created the scoring opportunity with a cross.
Foden's goal was his first since January and marked his seventh goal against United, a record for him in the Manchester derby.
City's dominance continued, with the team maintaining an 87.6% passing accuracy, a hallmark of Pep Guardiola's style of play.
Manchester United, on the other hand, struggled to pose a threat, with only six touches in the City box and just one shot on target.
The game was all but over after Haaland scored his second goal, which also marked a personal milestone for Guardiola as it was the 1,500th goal scored by a team under his tutelage.
Haaland's third goal sealed the win for City, who had a comfortable lead by that point.
While United had more possession, played more passes, and had a better pass accuracy, they were unable to capitalize on their chances, with a few missed opportunities, including a four-yard miss by Bryan Mbeumo.
The game ended with City comfortably ahead, and United will look to take positives from the match to improve their performance in the future.
The match also marked a rare instance where no cards were given by the referee, a first in the Premier League Manchester derby at the 57th time of asking.