Manchester City have moved 11 points clear at the top of the Premier League table courtesy of a 2-1 victory at Manchester United on Sunday afternoon.
City have now won their last 14 in the Premier League – a new record – as they proved too strong for second-placed United, who suffered their first home defeat in any competition since the corresponding game last September.
City took the lead in the 43rd minute when David Silva turned home from close range after United had failed to clear a corner.
The hosts levelled in the second minute of additional time at the end of the first period when Marcus Rashford found the back of the net following a defensive mistake from Fabian Delph.
City regained the lead in the 54th minute, however, when Nicolas Otamendi hooked home from inside the box after Romelu Lukaku had failed to clear a set piece, and that proved to be the winning goal.
Below are four talking points from the Manchester derby at Old Trafford.
Mourinho’s bold starting XI fails to produce
So much for United boss Jose Mourinho adopting a defensive shape in the big matches. It had been thought that the home side would again line up in a 3-4-3 formation, with Anthony Martial and Jesse Lingard supporting Lukaku in the final third as United looked to hurt City on the counter-attack.
Martial, Lingard and Lukaku did all start, but Rashford also made the XI as Mourinho selected a flat back four. Antonio Valencia and Ashley Young are not exactly the most defensive of full-backs, meaning that it was an attacking United team that took to the field at Old Trafford. Well, on paper at least.
Ander Herrera’s selection alongside Nemanja Matic meant that the hosts were well stocked in the middle of the park, however, while Martial and Rashford were very disciplined in the early stages due to City’s domination of the ball.
In all honesty, United were not an attacking threat for long spells of the first period, but they equalised in the final stages of the half courtesy of a smart finish from Rashford. They then started the second 45 minutes full of purpose, but another poor piece of defensive work saw them fall 2-1 behind.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic came off the bench for the final 15 minutes as the hosts looked for a late rally, but City held on for all three points as United’s attackers were left extremely frustrated following a poor afternoon.
Story of two set pieces and a missed chance for Lukaku
City took the lead in the first period when Silva turned home from close range after the ball had bounced off Lukaku inside the United box.
Lukaku was then involved in City’s second goal as his terrible clearance from a set piece fell to Otamendi, who was only happy to accept the gift. Lukaku’s height and power has made him a decent addition to United’s defence from set pieces, but the Belgian had a complete horror show at Old Trafford.
The 24-year-old ended the 90 minutes with two assists, but they both came at the wrong end of the field. United supporters would have also expected a bit more from their £75m forward down the other end, although the service into Lukaku was non-existent for long periods.
He did have an incredible chance to level in the latter stages, but fired straight at Ederson from close range. As a result, question marks remain over the striker’s ability to influence matches against the bigger teams in the division.
Pogba is such a big miss for United
It is hardly breaking news that Paul Pogba makes United tick, but these are the type of matches where the Frenchman’s absence is seriously felt. Pogba was excellent against Arsenal last weekend, but did not complete the 90 minutes at the Emirates Stadium after picking up a straight red card.
Herrera took Pogba’s place in the middle of the park, and while the Spaniard is full of passion and energy, he simply does not have the same quality as Pogba. United miss his arrogance and powerful running when he does not play, and with Matic far from fully fit, the 24-year-old’s absence from the Manchester derby was an even bigger blow.
Pogba is the only central midfielder in the United squad that is able to carry the ball through the lines on the counter-attack, and Lukaku is a far better player when the Frenchman is in the team.
The former Juventus midfielder brings goals and assists to the 20-time English champions, but his range of passing is also fantastic. United did not have those sweeping diagonals against their rivals, which made it difficult for Martial and Rashford to isolate City’s full-backs.
City deserved winners due to dominant performance
It was not much of a surprise that City took control of the possession in the early exchanges, and the visitors had a couple of good chances inside the first 16 minutes. The first came for Raheem Sterling, but the England international fired straight at David de Gea, before Gabriel Jesus tested the gloves of the United goalkeeper after showing excellent feet in a tight position.
Sterling’s willingness to drift into a central position caused United all sorts of problems as Kevin De Bruyne and Silva continued to pick up the ball. The first half was almost a training exercise of attack versus defence.
Leroy Sane had a wonderful chance to send City ahead in the 41st minute, but the German could not beat De Gea at his near post. The visitors scored from the resulting corner, however, with Silva turning home from close range as the Citizens were rewarded for their adventure.
A mistake from Delph cost City an equaliser, however, with the stand-in left-back allowing Rashford to turn home at the far post. Despite having 75% of the ball in the first period, the two teams went into the break on level terms.
The visitors edged back ahead early in the second courtesy of another gift, and might have scored a third just after the hour following another brilliant move, but there were no takers on substitute Ilkay Gundogan’s low cross.
As expected, United pushed for a leveller in the latter stages, but City, who might have made it three late on through Bernardo Silva, held on for the victory that they richly deserved after an accomplished performance. Surely the title is now theirs, even at this relatively early stage of the season.
