City are investigating ...
Not a great day for Pep Guardiola.
Barney Ronay on Marcus Rashford.
David Hytner was our man at the Etihad. Here’s his take on a mesmerising match. Click and enjoy! And thanks for reading this MBM.
A sullen but defiant Pep Guardiola talks. “They were clinical. I am more than happy with our performance. We created chances. In general, I am delighted and happy with the performance we play. The approach, and the way we play, I am delighted. No regrets. We play a good game. I like to watch my team play. I know who we are as a team. I am delighted to work with these guys. It’s unrealistic to think we can catch up, but we will continue. We are a fantastic team, we played so good.” And as for the racist abuse: “I support the club, we are going to work to avoid it happening again.”
A thrilled Ole Gunnar Solskjaer speaks! “The start of the game we were exceptional. We should have been five up really. We played so well. We were playing the best team in the world, for me, and the best coach. Players were coming in every angle and we defended so well. We were brilliant in the first half hour. Some great, quick, attacking football. And we kept it well at times. So pleased with the boys, they deserved it. We got tired but they dug in and the mentality is strong. We believe in what we are doing. Results will turn doubters into believers.” He then describes the racist fool in the crowd as a “not so intelligent fellow” ... “I hope City and the authorities will deal with it, because he shouldn’t be watching football again, not live anyway. We have to stamp it out. It’s not acceptable.”
Manchester City have released a statement. The club say they are “aware of a video circulating on social media which appears to show a supporter making racial gestures” during the match and are “working with Greater Manchester Police in order to help them identify any individuals concerned”. The full statement can be read here.
Back to that miserable lighter-throwing episode. There are reports that some members of the crowd also made racist gestures towards a United player, and both clubs have been made aware of the incident. Such a depressing state of affairs. Kick It Out have issued a statement: “We have been inundated with reports of alleged racist abuse from a number of individuals during this evening’s Manchester derby. We will be contacting both clubs to offer our support and hope swift action is taken to identify the offenders.”
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Pep puts on his best gameface and congratulates Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, then the United players. But he’ll be churning inside. This is a huge blow to Manchester City’s title hopes, which are now hanging by a thread. They’re 14 points behind the leaders Liverpool. Leicester City have got three points on them as well, with a game in hand. But this isn’t just about the title race, because that was a statement of intent by Manchester United. They could easily have won by a couple more. They were devastating in attack in the first half; resolute in defence in the second. They’re not back yet ... but this performance is a sign that their under-fire manager may have what it takes to turn their situation around after all. They’re fifth, now just five points off fourth-placed Chelsea.
FULL TIME: Manchester City 1-2 Manchester United
United hang on! They win the derby and possibly put an end to City’s hopes of a third title in a row!
90 min +4: Walker is booked for a wild scythe on Young. A free kick, which United take their sweet time over.
90 min +3: United launch it back up the other end. The tension in the Etihad is palpable.
90 min +2: Pereira shields the ball by the corner flag awhile. He’s eventually bundled off it, and City can launch it upfield.
90 min +1: James rips upfield and, with City light at the back, slips Pereira clear down the left. Pereira shoots. It’s deflected. Corner.
90 min: United have clearly decided to dig in. It’s going to be a long additional five minutes for them.
89 min: Ashley Young comes on for Luke Shaw, who is completely spent. And then another change in short order, as Axel Tuanzebe replaces Jesse Lingard.
87 min: It was a strong hand by De Gea, as Mahrez curled towards the bottom left. Additionally, Silva was an inch away from diverting the ball past the keeper with his toenail. United’s lead is suddenly hanging by a thread!
86 min: Mahrez drives into the United box from the right. His low shot is parried wonderfully by De Gea. Suddenly United are rocking, and City sense blood!
GOAL! Manchester City 1-2 Manchester United (Otamendi 85)
De Bruyne hooks on from the left. Shaw, under no pressure, panics and hacks out for a corner. The ball’s swung into a crowded box. Otamendi rises highest, powering through to blast a header home from close range. City’s comeback is on!
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83 min: Pereira makes off down the left, cuts back, then loops a clever ball into the City box. Lingard, rushing in, tries a first-time poke towards the bottom corner, but can’t quite get enough steer on the ball and it’s an easy gather for Ederson.
81 min: Mahrez diddles Shaw down the right, but his stand-up for Sterling, in the middle, floats over his team-mate’s head. A lower ball, and that’d have been an easy tap-in. On the touchline, a dejected, frustrated Pep holds his head in his hands.
80 min: Now Jesus clips McTominay, who is in the wars. He’ll be fine to continue, but takes the opportunity to roll around for a bit before the restart, eating up precious seconds.
79 min: Walker lunges into the back of Fred, then De Bruyne is booked for a lunge on McTominay. City are still well in this game, with plenty of time still on the clock; they can’t afford to lose their composure.
78 min: Rodri dribbles his way into the United box down the left ... then under pressure from Wan-Bissaka dances straight out of play.
77 min: ... Maguire nearly tees up Jesus for a simple goal. His poor header falls to the striker, ten yards out, just to the left of goal. But Jesus, perhaps confused by the nearby Mahrez, dithers and can’t get a shot away.
76 min: Angelino comes in from the left and has a whack. It’s wild, but blocked out for a corner by Wan-Bissaka. That corner leads to another corner, from which ...
74 min: United make their first change, replacing Anthony Martial with Andreas Pereira. The midfielder is immediately in the action, first nearly releasing Lingard down the left, then cynically kicking Sterling’s heels as the City winger made off up the other end. Sterling springs up, looking for a rumble, but the ref gets in between the players and books Pereira.
73 min: From the resulting corner, Silva tries to bundle home at the near post, but can only send the ball harmlessly wide right.
72 min: City pin United back. They probe this way and that. Suddenly Mahrez bursts down the right and crosses. The ball clanks off Shaw’s arm and out for a corner, but again it’s no penalty, Shaw turning his back at close range, his arm right by his side.
70 min: Sterling chases a De Bruyne pass down the right and topples over, with Maguire in hot pursuit. He wants a penalty, but there’s no contact and he’s not getting it. And to be fair, while VAR double-checks, Sterling trots back upfield, having perhaps thought twice about the claim.
68 min: The corner can’t be taken, because a minority of City-supporting eejits launch a few cigarette lighters towards the United players preparing to take. One hits Fred on the back of the head. Ugly scenes. Fred looks like he’ll be fine, but really, what’s wrong with people?
66 min: On the other hand, a successful United break would put this game to bed. James skitters towards the City box, straight down the middle, and slips the ball wide for Lingard, who hesitates before shooting. His eventual effort is parried round the post for a corner.
65 min: Before the corner, Riyad Mahrez comes on for Bernardo Silva. The set piece ends up at the feet of Sterling, out on the left. He loops long for Mahrez at the far post. Mahrez can only guide the ball wide with a telescopic leg. City are getting closer to a goal that would change the mood utterly.
64 min: A little time and space for Rodri on the edge of the United D. He takes a touch and launches one towards the top right. It’s a fine effort, matched for quality by De Gea’s save. The keeper fingertips the ball over the bar.
63 min: James rips the ball off a snoozing Angelino, and tears towards the City box. He looks for Rashford and Martial with a square pass. The ball pinballs around and into Ederson’s arms, just as it looked as though Martial might toe-poke home.
61 min: Sterling cuts in from the left, past a dithering Lindelof, and works himself some space to shoot. But he hesitates a little, allowing Wan-Bissaka to hassle him from behind. As Sterling sashays left to right without shooting, Wan-Bissaka toe-pokes the ball away from Sterling’s toe and out for a corner. Nothing comes of the set piece.
59 min: Stones gets up and hobbles off. He’s replaced by Nicolas Otamendi. This really hasn’t been City’s night so far.
58 min: Fred hoists the free kick into the mixer. City clear for a throw. Before United can take it, attention must be paid to Stones, who is sat on the turf looking glum. This is the last thing City need.
57 min: One corner leads to another, and suddenly Lingard is romping upfield on the counter. He’s making good down the left, and is upended by Walker. A free kick, and a chance for United to load the box.
55 min: Wan-Bissaka and Fred faff about on the edge of their own box and gift De Bruyne possession. He bursts into the box down the inside-right channel, and looks odds on to score. But Lindelof slides in to deflect his shot over the bar. Corner.
54 min: De Gea is booked for taking an absurd amount of time over a goal kick.
53 min: Martial sprints upfield on the counter. It’s four on two! He’s got James in acres to his right, but opts to play in Rashford on the left instead. Rashford is up against Walker, who gets to the ball first then draws a foul. What a chance to extend United’s lead, and it’s been spurned.
52 min: Here’s a stat and a half, courtesy of Sky. In the Premier League era, Manchester United have never lost after leading by two or more goals at half-time. Out of 170 games, they’ve gone on to win 167 of them and draw the other three. They’ll not want to lose this record to City.
50 min: Rashford tries to get United going again, but it’s a one-man sortie down the left and he eventually runs out of road.
48 min: This is much better from Angelino, who cuts back marvellously from a tight spot on the left, taking the three United players he’d drawn towards him out of the game. In the pocket of space that’s left, David Silva takes a touch and aims for the top right, but doesn’t get the required bend. Already this is much better from the champions.
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47 min: City pick up where they left off, pushing United deep. De Bruyne wastes little time in winning a corner down the right. All good and well, but when the ball finds its way to Angelino, 30 yards out, his overly ambitious larrup, sailing high into the stand, betrays City’s anxiety.
City get the ball rolling for the second half. There have been no half-time changes. There doesn’t appear to be any change in Guardiola’s mood, either, as he’s still bending the fourth official’s ear. A very animated discussion. Let’s hope they can iron out their differences.
Half-time reading. Just to put City’s current plight into proper context.
HALF TIME: Manchester City 0-2 Manchester United
For the first half hour, that was the best display of counter-attacking by Manchester United since the days of Andrei Kanchelskis. The last 15 minutes or so were all City’s, though, and that’ll give United pause. This is far from over.
45 min +2: Walker cuts one back from the touchline, to the right of goal. Fred slides in and blocks out for a corner. City want a penalty, but Fred’s arm wasn’t in an unnatural position, and neither referee nor VAR is interested. Pep is once again livid.
45 min: De Bruyne crosses from the right. David Silva nearly bundles in at the far post, but can’t hook the ball goalwards, and De Gea was on point anyway.
44 min: City are completely on top. United can’t get out, and after 30 minutes of freewheeling around like they own the place, will now be desperate to hear the half-time whistle. Strange old game.
43 min: David Silva wafts a dismal effort towards the top right. It’s weak, and easy pickings for De Gea.
42 min: City are beginning to ask some questions. They’ve spent 50 percent of the last ten minutes in United’s final third. Lingard knocks Rodri to the ground, and it’s another free kick in a dangerous position.
40 min: Sterling glides in from the left and is clumsily brought down by Wan-Bissaka, just outside the box. De Bruyne takes the free kick, and lofts it uncharacteristically over the bar, never troubling De Gea.
38 min: City carve out their first gilt-edged chance of the match. De Bruyne, just to the right of the D, pitching wedges a delightful cross towards Jesus, who dives to meet it with his head on the penalty spot. He should at least get his header on target, but it sails harmlessly wide left. What a ball by De Bruyne, though, and a reminder that, for all their early sass, United haven’t got the win locked down yet.
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36 min: James rolls a cross along the corridor of uncertainty from the right. Had Martial really stretched for that, he’d have poked home. But as it is, the ball sails off out of play on the left. Another huge chance for United, who are ripping City’s back line apart with ease. Will they live to rue all these missed opportunities?
35 min: De Bruyne finds Walker with a lovely sliderule pass down the right wing. Walker fizzes a low cross into the box but there’s nobody in blue taking a chance, and it’s an easy claim for De Gea.
34 min: A bit of space for David Silva, 30 yards from goal. He’s inexplicably allowed to make it to the edge of the box, where he lashes a shot goalwards. Fortunately for United, it’s straight at De Gea.
33 min: Bernardo Silva cuts in from the right and has a dig from the edge of the box. His effort slaps McTominay in the chest. United clear. Sterling comes back at the visitors down the left, but he can’t get past Wan-Bissaka. Frowns on City faces right now.
31 min: On the touchline, Pep Guardiola looks utterly stunned. And no wonder, his team are being ripped to shreds here. United could easily be five or six up! Higher up in the stand, a certain knight of the realm allows a warm smile of satisfaction to play across his face. And the United fans are extremely vocal in their support of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
GOAL! Manchester City 0-2 Manchester United (Martial 29)
James and Martial combine at speed down the right. Martial spins on the edge of the area, just to the right of the D, and threads a shot into the bottom right, past the outstretched fingers of Ederson. To repeat: this is no more than United deserve. City need to wake up and quick.
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28 min: This is a quite sensational United performance. They look dangerous every time they cross the halfway line. City are a ragged rabble!
27 min: United should be three or four goals up here. James makes good down the right and cuts back for Rashford, who tries to guide a curler into the top right. The ball clips the top of the bar with Ederson beaten all ends up.
25 min: Martial is sent wheeching down the right. He knocks the ball towards Rashford, just inside the box, coming in from the left. Rashford has time to take a touch, but with Ederson off his line, attempts a first-touch curler around the keeper and into the bottom right. His effort is well wide.
24 min: Guardiola has a full and frank exchange of views with the fourth official. Meanwhile, Bernardo Silva tries to repair the damage by dribbling down the right and entering the box. His shot is deflected out for a corner, from which nothing occurs.
GOAL! Manchester City 0-1 Manchester United (Rashford 23 pen)
Rashford stutters, sends Ederson one way, then passes the ball into the bottom right. This goal had been coming. United deserve their lead.
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22 min: Bernardo Silva is also livid at the decision, and talks his way into the book.
21 min: VAR intervenes, and it’s a penalty to United! Pep Guardiola is furious, but that was as clear a penalty as you’ll get. I have no idea why the referee said no in the first place.
20 min: Rashford squeezes between Bernardo Silva and Stones, into the box down the inside left. He goes over. It looks like a penalty, Silva coming across Rashford, sticking out a leg, clipping his knee. But the referee’s not interested!
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18 min: Sterling wins a corner for City down the left. Nothing much happens, the ball sent sailing over everyone in the box. I suppose that qualifies as a lull, in the context of what’s gone before. This is non-stop fun.
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16 min: City are shipping a large number of good chances. James is sent scampering down the right by Rashford, and pulls back for Martial, who shoots towards the bottom right. Ederson saves well. He’s earned his money today already.
14 min: United spring upfield from the Lindelof incident and nearly break clear. Fernandinho does well to intercept just as it looks like Martial will zip free down the right.
13 min: Bernardo Silva is sprung down the inside right channel and cuts the ball back. There’s a scramble on the spot, Jesus sliding in, and the ball hits Lindelof’s arm. But the referee says it’s accidental, and VAR agrees. It looks like the correct decision, there was little Lindelof could do, the ball kicked up to his arm from close range as he challenged.
11 min: “They will have to break out the oxygen tanks if this pace keeps up,” suggests Mary Waltz. “Electric.” It’s that, all right. City attempt to calm things down a little bit by passing and probing, probing and passing. They shift the ball this way and that, but United hold their shape and stay patient. Eventually the move peters out.
9 min: This match is absurdly entertaining. Rashford slips a ball down the inside left for Lingard, who shoots at Ederson from a tight angle. Ederson kicks away brilliantly in the style popularised by the man between the sticks up the other end.
8 min: Shaw swings a dangerous ball in from the left. Martial manages to handle with both hands in his attempt to chest down and turn on the penalty spot.
7 min: More space for James down the right. His cutback flies behind Rashford and Martial. City counter, Sterling dribbling at great speed down the left and cutting back for David Silva, who squirts a low shot across the face of goal and wide right.
6 min: Space for James out on the right. He chips a fine pass over the City back line in the hope of sending Martial clean through. Walker does exceptionally well to turn on the jets himself and get his body in between Martial and the ball. Danger over.
4 min: David Silva nearly releases Sterling down the inside left. McTominay intercepts sensationally, springing up after sliding to trap, then hooking clear. City want a penalty but the ball hit the midfielder’s chest as he slid.
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3 min: City go straight up the other end and nearly score themselves, David Silva shooting from a tight angle on the left. His effort is blocked. This is very open. It certainly doesn’t look like a 0-0 in the making.
2 min: But it’s United who have the first chance of the game, and they probably should have scored. Martial romps into City territory and then Fred slips James free on the right. James is in an absurd amount of space, but shoots straight at Ederson.
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1 min: A first touch for Harry Maguire, who having chosen red over blue this summer, gets pantomime pelters. And United struggle to get out of their final third in the opening exchanges, City stringing plenty of passes together as they briskly probe this way and that.
A quick blast of Blue Moon ... and then we’re off! United get the ball rolling. “Call this a sheer gut shot, but I really like United’s chances in this match,” opines Hubert O’Hearn. “From a distance, I admire what Ole’s doing in building a squad with youth and I just think they’ll have a willingness to bleed on the pitch more than City who probably are more focused on Big Cup. I’m calling it 4-2 United. Onwards!”
The teams are out! The greatest thing about derbies? Both sets of teams get to wear the colours that made them famous. You don’t need me to tell you, but just for the sake of completion: City are in sky blue, United in red. In the tunnel beforehand, David de Gea and David Silva enjoyed a nice friendly catch-up. All smiles. So much for the two teams being sworn enemies. A pow-wow that won’t shift the dial on the Roy Keane-o-meter very far. Anyway, there’s a derby-day atmosphere inside the Etihad, and it’ll only get louder when we kick off in a minute.
Pep talks. “They have pace up front. So fast. They have a lot of quality, one against one. We know what they are going to try to do, so we have to try to control it. We will try to be clinical. It is special for our fans, but we have to be focused on what we are trying to do, we cannot be emotional. The battle will be with the players on the pitch, but of course our supporters will make it extra.”
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer talks to Sky. “You want as many good players on the pitch as possible, especially when you play a fantastic team like Man City. We know we will have to play our best to have the chance of a result. Luke Shaw is ready. He’s trained really well, and hopefully we will see the best of him. We would like to keep the ball. If you let City have it too much, they can out-football any team, they can football you to death. We will have to be good in our pressing and our defensive shape, but we want to keep the ball as well. We want to attack quickly. We must be confident but also humble. We are playing a fantastic side on their own ground.”
If the Manchester derby wasn’t big enough anyway, on its own merits, Liverpool have just won 3-0 at Bournemouth. The result puts them on 46 points, 11 clear of second-placed Leicester City, who go to midlands rivals Aston Villa tomorrow ... and 14 clear of defending champions Manchester City in third place. City need a result tonight. But then United have their own agenda, and three points would take them into fifth spot, a little closer to the Champions League places after Chelsea’s 3-1 defeat at Everton. Plenty up for grabs.
A festive feel at the Etihad.
𝅘𝅥𝅰 Blue Christmas, that’s the way you see it when you’re feeling blue
Blue Xmas, when you’re blue at Christmastime you see right through
All the waste, all the sham, all the haste
And plain old bad taste 𝅘𝅥𝅰𝅘𝅥𝅰
City make one change to the team that ran out easy winners at Burnley on Tuesday night. John Stones takes the place of Nicolas Otamendi.
United make two changes to the side who saw off Tottenham Hotspur and Jose Mourinho on Wednesday. Anthony Martial and Luke Shaw replace Mason Greenwood and Ashley Young.
The teams
Manchester City: Ederson, Walker, Stones, Fernandinho, Jose Angelino, De Bruyne, Rodri, Silva, Bernardo Silva, Gabriel Jesus, Sterling.
Subs: Bravo, Gundogan, Mendy, Mahrez, Joao Cancelo, Otamendi, Foden.
Manchester United: de Gea, Wan Bissaka, Lindelof, Maguire, Shaw, McTominay, Fred, James, Lingard, Rashford, Martial.
Subs: Mata, Andreas Pereira, Young, Romero, Greenwood, Tuanzebe, Williams.
Referee: Anthony Taylor (Cheshire).
Preamble
City have had the upper hand in the Manchester derby in recent years, there’s no denying it. They did the double over United in last year’s treble season. They’re on a current streak of three wins in a row at Old Trafford. They’ve recently dished out some memorable pastings: a 3-0, a 4-1, that 6-1. Tough times for United, traditionally the bosses of this rivalry, with 73 wins on the tally to City’s 53.
You’d expect title-chasing City to prevail again this evening. Especially as they’re coming off the back of that fine confidence-restoring performance at Burnley. United by comparison have only won nine of 22 matches in all competitions, and are still struggling for an identity under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
But nothing’s ever that simple. For all their brilliance, City have been uncharacteristically inconsistent so far this season. Before the Burnley game, they’d only won one of their previous five matches. They’ve been beaten by struggling Norwich City. And they’ve already lost at home to Wolves.
United will take succour from that last result especially. Like Wolves, they can be devastating on the counter against teams who come at them, as Chelsea, Liverpool and Sheffield United can testify. City, we can confirm in some exclusive breaking news, will attack today. That may leave their makeshift defence vulnerable. Also, United won’t need reminding twice about the Paul Pogba game of April 2018, when United denied City the chance to finish their title procession with derby victory on home turf, coming back from two down at half-time to frustrate their hosts 3-2. There’s no reason why they can’t taste victory on enemy soil again.
Then again, United’s defence isn’t up to much either, and City could run riot. We’ll find out soon enough what it’s to be. Can United follow up their fine result against Tottenham by putting a serious dent in City’s three-peat title hopes? Or will City continue their recent derby form and pick up three points that may prove crucial in the hunting down of Liverpool and Leicester? It’s going to be fun finding out. It’s the 179th Manchester derby. It’s on!
Kick off: 5.30pm.
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