Barney Ronay.
Reaction.
Ole Gunnar Solskjær speaks:
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And with that my race is run. Here’s the top of the Premier League table:
| Pos | Team | P | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Man City | 28 | 37 | 65 |
| 2 | Man Utd | 28 | 23 | 54 |
| 3 | Leicester | 28 | 16 | 53 |
| 4 | Chelsea | 27 | 17 | 47 |
| 5 | Everton | 26 | 6 | 46 |
And here’s the match report again. Bye!
Pep Guardiola is looking on the bright side:
We played good, apart from the first 10 minutes, and unfortunately we could not be clinical, and congratulations United. Today we lost, and it will be the news. But the news is 21 victories in a row. This is the news. This result is going to help us a lot to understand how difficult it is. We knew it. But sometimes you have to not win one game to realise, and the next one is important. There’s still a lot of games to play. We have to start to win again, and the next game we have an opportunity to do it.
“They’re too far ahead to think we can catch them,” says Ole Gunnar Solskjaer of Manchester City, though he is pleased to have seen his team “going back a little bit to what we want to be: more direct, straightforward, being positive, get at them”. I did transcribe his entire interview, but reading it back the rest of it was of the each-game-as-it-comes school of managerial interview.
David Hytner has filed his match report from the Etihad Stadium:
There was nothing on, seemingly, for Manchester United. Dean Henderson, the goalkeeper, had the ball in his hands and Manchester City were in their defensive shape. City felt that their rivals were time-wasting as they led in the early exchanges of the second half through Bruno Fernandes’s second-minute penalty. “Get on with it,” came the cry from the City ranks.
So United did. Or, more precisely, Luke Shaw did. Henderson, beginning a mini-run in the team with David de Gea on paternity leave, threw out to the left flank and Shaw had only one thought – to rumble upfield. A touch on his chest took him away from Joâo Cancelo and he had too much pace for Kevin De Bruyne. Up to the edge of the City penalty area, Shaw swapped passes with Marcus Rashford before getting the ball out of his feet and directing a low shot into the far corner. It was some way for the left-back to score his first goal since March of last year and it was the moment that swung this derby decisively in United’s favour.
Much more here:
Bruno Fernandes says his hands-over-ears celebration was a message to his family. And he also says this:
They are really good on the ball, they defend well, they are tough to play against. But today we do almost everything perfect, and the result is the most important. For now it’s not about winning against City, it’s about performing well from now to the end of the season and trying to win every game. Scoring in the first minute is perfect because we have more space to counter, but against Tottenham we started with a penalty in the first minute and we lost the game. If we focus every game until the end of the season, for sure we will win every game.
“I don’t think this title is over,” says Andy. “This could be the start of a six home game losing streak.” Yeah, that’s fine, and you never know, but City only have four home games left.
Final score: Man City 0-2 Man Utd
90+6 mins: It’s all over! Manchester City’s run of victories ends on 21, and Manchester United’s unbeaten away run ticks to 22!
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90+6 mins: Mahrez’s stinging shot is beaten out by Henderson, and De Bruyne collects the loose ball before having a shot of his own that deflects off Matic’s arm. They want a penalty, but aren’t having one.
90+5 mins: James steals the ball from Mahrez and runs with it downfield. He nudges it to Greenwood, whose crossfield pass to Williams floats out of play.
90+3 mins: De Bruyne lifts the ball into the box, and Maguire lets it bounce behind for a goal kick. United bring Williams on for Fernandes.
90+1 mins: There will be about five minutes of stoppage time.
89 mins: De Bruyne, who has been a way below his best today, smears a shot well wide from the edge of the area.
88 mins: United bring Matic on for Martial as they aim to see the game out.
87 mins: De Bruyne’s corner is flicked on by Gundogan at the near post, and Stones is about a foot away from turning it in at the back stick!
85 mins: De Bruyne crosses, Lindelof slips at the worst possible moment, and Sterling heads weakly and wide.
83 mins: Wan-Bissaka kicks the ball behind, the referee gives a goal kick, and Gundogan’s face is the picture of incredulity.
82 mins: Stones moves into the attack, and seems in no hurry to get back to defence. He and Sterling are the City front two at the moment.
81 mins: Mahrez chips the ball into the area to Foden, but Greenwood pops up in the area to get in the way and deflect the ball to safety.
79 mins: Close! Walker’s cross from the right dips perfectly towards Sterling on the far post, who tries to volley it in with his right foot but Lindelof stops him watching the ball’s approach, and it ends up bouncing between his legs and behind for a goal kick!
78 mins: City have upped the tempo considerably, and there is a delicious air of panic and potential about their play now. “City haven’t won a league game in which they conceded two or more goals since October 2017 (WBA away, 3-2). In fact, they have lost 16 and drawn three since then,” notes Admir Pajic.
75 mins: A nice move from City ends with De Bruyne sliding a ball infield from the right to Foden, who controls with his first touch, spins, and hits a left-footed shot wide!
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74 mins: Greenwood has now replaced Rashford.
73 mins: Henderson kicks the ball into touch to allow Greenwood to replace Rashford, who is limping worryingly, but then Greenwood isn’t allowed to replace Rashford, City have the ball, and the two managers bicker about it for a while.
71 mins: Rashford runs 60 yards to dispossess Mahrez, but hurts an ankle in the process and is receiving treatment. City, meanwhile, bring Foden on for Jesus.
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69 mins: What a miss/save! McTominay is tripped on the edge of the area but the ball rolls through to Martial and the referee waves play on! The Frenchman just needs to find a corner, but instead he finds Ederson!
68 mins: After a defender gets a toe to Fernandes’ attempted pass to Martial the ball deflects to Rashford, but instead of putting his laces through it he attempts a pass, and fails.
66 mins: City bring Walker on for Cancelo, with City’s defence needing a pace transfusion as they try to keep up with Rashford, Martial and James.
65 mins: Jesus sends the ball bouncing across goal, not close enough to goal to worry Henderson, nor close enough to Sterling, who was anyway probably offside.
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64 mins: Jesus slides to try a cross, Shaw slides to try to block, and the ball hits the United player and City want a penalty for it. It did look like it hit his hand, but neither referee nor VAR is impressed with the appeal.
61 mins: United are winning the ball well in midfield and then attacking at pace and in decent numbers, and are looking more likely to score the next goal at the moment.
61 mins: Henderson is booked for timewasting.
58 mins: Chance for a third! Fernandes’ cross deflects off a defender, spins into the air and drops onto the head of Martial, six yards out, who doesn’t get any power on his header, which is easily saved.
55 mins: Martial runs straight down the middle, shrugging off a couple of weak challenges and ending with a choice of Rashford to his left and James to his right. He goes with James, probably the wrong option, whose shot deflects wide.
52 mins: Now then, City, what have you got (other than a healthy lead at the top of the table, obviously)? Sterling cuts infield and curls a shot not close enough to the far post to worry Henderson, who catches.
GOAL! Manchester City 0-2 Manchester United (Shaw, 50 mins)
The away team double their lead! Henderson throws long to Shaw, who runs to the edge of the area before playing in Rashford to his left. The forward cuts onto his right foot and then nudges a pass back infield for Shaw, who takes a touch and hits a low shot across goal that wrong-foots an immobile Ederson and trundles into the corner!
Updated
48 mins: City hit the woodwork! It’s a shot from Rodri, set-up by Jesus a few inches inside the penalty area, which hits the corner of post and bar and goes over!
46 mins: Gabriel Jesus, who started the first half so very badly, starts the second half.
“It turns out those sniffer dogs in your earlier photo were helping De Bruyne try to relocate his form,” says Justin Kavanagh. “He’s been unusually poor.” He has given the ball away a couple of times, which by his ludicrous standards makes his first-half display a bit of a stinker, but City have had 67% of possession and 13 of the game’s 17 shots (most of them from outside the area, to be fair, and most of them also off-target). It’s interesting to see them chase a game for a change, but so far they look pretty decent at it.
Half time: Manchester City 0-1 Manchester United
45+2 mins: We have had half of the time; City have dominated, but United lead!
45+1 mins: City work the ball to Mahrez, whose low cross-shot goes a yard or so wide. Jesus throws himself at the ball in an attempt to turn it in, gets nothing on it, and then slides into the post. It looks painful, but he jumps back to his feet in short order.
45 mins: James leads a United break before passing to Rashford, who goes infield to Fernandes, who toe-pokes a pass in front of both Martial and McTominay, who run into each other, and it’s out for a goal kick.
43 mins: De Bruyne’s shot dips just over the bar, and the referee thinks Henderson got his fingertips to it on its way and gives City a corner, which is cleared.
Updated
43 mins: Fernandes tugs at Rodri’s arm, and City have a free-kick 25 or so yards from goal, which De Bruyne is eyeing up.
41 mins: Rashford tries to play in Fred, but Stones has spotted and shadowed his run and cuts the ball out. Then City play the ball to Jesus, who seems keener to win Maguire a second yellow card than to do anything constructive with it, and doesn’t get anything.
39 mins: United counter, and Fernandes has a chance to play in Martial. But he delays the pass, and then underhits it, and it’s cut out.
38 mins: Mahrez dribbled infield from the right but eventually takes a heavy touch which rolls conveniently to Gundogan, who carries the ball into the area before shooting at Henderson.
36 mins: Gundogan returns the favour, trying to pick out Sterling’s run behind the defence but overhitting the pass, and Henderson gathers.
34 mins: Sterling tries to pass to Gundogan, making an overlapping run down the left, but hopelessly overhits the pass. Goal kick.
32 mins: Maguire is booked for thundering into a challenge with Jesus. He certainly got the ball first, but enough man to annoy the referee.
Updated
27 mins: United started well (obviously) but it’s been a while since they last spent any time in City’s half and they can’t hold out like this for ever, surely. Cancelo has a shot now, from outside the area, which deflects wide.
24 mins: An absolute hammer of a shot from Zinchenko, which Henderson pushes clear.
23 mins: Sterling cuts in from the left and then keeps going, through two or three challenges, before eventually going down, only for the referee to wave him back to his feet.
Updated
22 mins: United have not had a lot of the ball in the last five minutes or so. United are defending quite high and incredibly narrow, and so far holding firm.
19 mins: Another Gundogan shot, from a foot or so outside the penalty area, but it curls emphatically wide.
Updated
18 mins: A good run from Jesus, who chests the ball down and cuts infield from the left, but Lindelof does well to track it and block the shot when it comes.
Updated
16 mins: De Bruyne gives the ball away, and Rashford stings Ederson’s palms with a dipping shot from 25 yards.
13 mins: Having endured the game at the Hawthorns earlier, I am pleased to report that this is already everything that was not: good players, good technique, goals, interest, excitement. The players could sit down now and not move until the final whistle and it would still be my game of the day.
Man Utd have scored two goals in their games against the Big Six this season, both from penalties and both in the 2nd minute.
— Orbinho (@Orbinho) March 7, 2021
9 mins: City’s first shot of the day comes from Gundogan, 20 yards from goal, but Henderson is well placed and saves easily.
7 mins: United win a free-kick for a fairly innocuous foul on Rashford by Cancelo. A minute or so earlier United were given a throw-in even though Cancelo kicked the ball into Martial, and he’s already gesticulating furiously and frustratedly at the referee.
4 mins: A great chance for a second! McTominay’s excellent pass finds Rashford, who plays in Shaw. Cancelo takes the ball off him, but then dwells on it and Shaw takes it right back again, turns, and has the goal in front of him, and only eight yards away! He shoots down the middle of it, with his right foot, and Ederson saves easily.
3 mins: Yes, I know, I posted the wrong scoreline. Sorry!
GOAL! Man City 0-1 Man Utd (Fernandes, 2 mins)
Fernandes goes low to his left, and Ederson goes the right way, gets a hand to it, but can’t keep it out!
Updated
2 mins: Martial ran into a thicket of City players, but it was Jesus, trailing in his wake, who made contact.
1 min: Penalty to Manchester United! Martial goes down in the area, 35 seconds on the clock!
Updated
1 min: Peeeeeeeep!
The players are on their way out! Kick-off is just a few minutes away.
“After five games of the season and defeats to Palace and Spurs, the massed punditry were talking up Solskjaer’s dismissal as United manager,” writes Rick Harris. “Funny how after a sixth successive home defeat Jurgen Klopp isn’t favourite for the chop. Steven Gerrard has just thrown down the gauntlet it seems to me. If Liverpool fail to make top 4 and don’t win the Champions League then do you think a big change is in the offing at Anfield?”
Klopp though is insulated to a certain extent by his previous achievements, which Solskjaer is not. There will be a fallout at Anfield, inevitably, the squad will need to be improved and quite heavily rebuilt, and fingers will have to be pointed somewhere, but they have been quite extraordinarily unlucky with injuries, and Klopp has been extraordinarily successful previously, so there’s no need to go overboard. Solskjaer meanwhile has been both useless and wonderful at different times this season, and the truth obviously lies somewhere between the two.
Pep Guardiola is asked if United will be unusually motivated for this one:
Maybe a little bit more, but should be not. In the end it’s a football game, with points for both sides. Sometimes extra motivation isn’t good. We played there at Old Trafford, and without people it’s completely different.
While Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is asked what kind of nightmare assignment his side has before them:
It’s a great challenge. That’s what it is. It’s a test of our mentality, and our quality as well. You get tested to the limit, against probably one of the best teams in European football at the minute, but we’re looking forward to it.
Manchester City have already banked their first significant victory of the afternoon:
I am surprised by the number of dogs required to ensure Kevin de Bruyne’s safety here:
The teams!
City bring in Stones, Gundogan and Zinchenko and leave out Walker, Laporte and Bernardo Silva. United bring in Lindelof, McTominay, James and Martial, at the expense of Bailly, Matic, Greenwood and Cavani, all but the latter dropping to the bench.
Man City: Ederson, Joao Cancelo, Dias, Stones, Zinchenko, Gundogan, Rodri, De Bruyne, Mahrez, Gabriel Jesus, Sterling. Subs: Walker, Aguero, Steffen, Laporte, Bernardo Silva, Torres, Mendy, Fernandinho, Foden.
Man Utd: Henderson, Wan Bissaka, Lindelof, Maguire, Shaw, McTominay, Fred, James, Bruno Fernandes, Rashford, Martial. Subs: Bailly, Greenwood, Grant, Diallo, Alex Telles, Matic, Williams, Tuanzebe, Shoretire.
Referee: Anthony Taylor.
Your derby day line-up! 💙
— Manchester City (@ManCity) March 7, 2021
XI | Ederson, Cancelo, Dias, Stones, Zinchenko, Rodrigo, Gundogan, De Bruyne (C), Mahrez, Sterling, Jesus
SUBS | Steffen, Walker, Aguero, Laporte, Bernardo, Torres, Mendy, Fernandinho, Foden
⚽️ @HaysWorldwide
🔷 #ManCity | https://t.co/axa0klD5re pic.twitter.com/WoCMpCLUdu
The 185th Manchester derby: coming 🔜
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) March 7, 2021
In the red corner... 🔴#MUFC #MCIMUN
Hello world!
The Manchester derby! The teams drew 0-0 when they last met, back in December, and that night, with 11 games played, United were a point ahead of City in the league, the two Manchester clubs occupying eighth and ninth place, five and six points respectively away from the joint leaders, Tottenham and Liverpool. City also drew the game after that, at home to West Brom, since when they have won every match in every competition, and they kick off this match 14 points ahead of United, 12 points ahead of anyone, 22 points ahead of Liverpool and 23 points above Spurs. United have only lost twice in all competitions since that game in December but they have drawn too many games, including seven of their last 10 in all competitions (one of them, in the FA Cup, won after extra time).
“They’ve gone through a fantastic spell at the moment, great form, 21 wins,” says Ole Gunnar Solskjær. “We’ve had 21 away games in the league unbeaten, so one record is going to be broken, so let’s see which one it is.”
Good idea, Ole. Let’s see, shall we?
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