David Hytner’s verdict has landed. “How much longer? After the 5-0 humiliation against Liverpool, this was another Theatre of Screams occasion for Ole Gunnar Solskjær, another big game when the gap to the very best yawned like a chasm, when his Manchester United team were an incoherent mess.” Click below for more. Thanks for reading this MBM!
Ole, not so happy, talks to Sky. “It is very difficult to talk now, of course. We started badly, passive, and when they got the first goal it was always going to be a difficult game. David kept us in the game, some good stops, then they score the goal they always score. We know that’s going to happen, and it shouldn’t happen. City played well, so some praise has to go to them, but we were not at our level and standards need to be raised. We still don’t trust ourselves with the ball, pass it as well as I know they can. We sometimes made the wrong solutions, sometimes the right solution but not the right execution. We have to get back to what we started to look like, a proper team, towards the end of last season and the start of this one, we have to get back to that. I’m sure when we come back, the demands on me and the players will be high. We’ve just got to get back to what we were for a while, and we have the players to do that. I have good communication all the time with the club. I want the best for Man United, and as long as I am here, I will do all I can to improve this.”
An extremely content Pep talks to Sky Sports. “It was a solid performance and a good game. A deserved victory. Three more points. You have to put the ball in the fridge, a lot of passes, a lot of passes. The ball comes where we are. We don’t come to pick up the ball. It’s completely different. I’m so demanding, we know our standards, but I am very pleased. If you attack quick against United, and you don’t finish this action, you will be attacked quicker. They are so dangerous. That’s why we shoot a game with lots of control and maintain possession, because then they cannot run.”
Roy Keane, past the stage of being angry, gives his verdict on Sky. “City are a different sort of team to Liverpool and just toyed with United. The difference in quality ... it was men v boys. United were so awful. Foden mentioned there that it’s a tough place to come. It’s not. Ask Everton. Ask Aston Villa. Ask Liverpool. Teams are coming here and getting a bit of joy now ... I don’t know what I’m going to say, it’s so poor. These players aren’t good enough for Manchester United. I wasn’t shocked when Bailly sliced that into the net, he’s got that in him, he’s erratic. It’s hope more than any belief. Ole has to take responsibility, of course he has, they have to get more out of these players. I’d like to go in hard on the United players but today I’m just feeling sorry for them, they’re just not up to playing for Man United.”
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Phil Foden talks to Sky. “I think we had the game of our lives today. Everything just went right. We dominated from start to finish, which is obviously really good. We are really pleased. We knew we could exploit the space in behind the full backs. It gives us massive confidence, it was important to get the win before the international break. It was very important to get back to winning ways. United are a great team and it’s such a difficult ground to come to, and we showed our class today.”
The stats are fairly damning for United. Sky flash up a graphic that shows City enjoyed 68 percent of possession and took 32 touches in the opposition’s box; United by comparison had just four, with only one in the second half. Their previous low since Opta began counting these things in 2008 was nine.
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... and so the pressure is cranked up on Ole Gunnar Solskjaer even more. With the international break coming up, United don’t play again until they go to Watford in a fortnight. A lot of time in which to sort a few things out, one way or another. Meanwhile City, their mood much better, go into the break having moved into second place for at least a day. Paul Fisher adds: “The thing is the Strand man was in control and cool.”
| Pos | Team | P | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chelsea | 10 | 23 | 25 |
| 2 | Man City | 11 | 16 | 23 |
| 3 | Liverpool | 10 | 21 | 22 |
| 4 | West Ham | 10 | 9 | 20 |
| 5 | Man Utd | 11 | 2 | 17 |
FULL TIME: Manchester United 0-2 Manchester City
United trudge off to boos again. Again. City completely bossed them today. A two-goal loss flatters United. Solskjaer disappears down the tunnel clapping the fans; not all of them reciprocate.
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90 min +4: Ronaldo never gives up, of course, and he flings himself at a right-wing cross. He’d have scored, too, but Stones flicks away just in time.
90 min +3: It’s party time in the City end. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer stands in the pouring rain, head bowed, a study in loneliness, like a man who smokes Strand cigarettes. A hot-topic pop-culture reference there for the kids.
90 min +1: The first of four additional minutes passes without drama.
90 min: Cancelo jigs down the left, reaches the byline, and whistles a shot-cum-cross through De Gea’s legs and across the face of goal. There’s nobody there to poke home. De Bruyne tries to recycle possession down the right and is bowled over in a pincer movement launched by Fernandes and Ronaldo. The latter is booked for a late slide.
88 min: Jesus tears down the right and into the United box. He goes over the leg of Telles and demands a penalty. He’s not getting one, Telles having got a small nick on the ball. Just a corner.
86 min: A City corner out on the left. The ball drops to Stones, who swivels, six yards out, and sends a low shot wide left. City could have scored quite a few more today.
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85 min: “City have destroyed Manchester United in a peaceful way,” Gary Neville lyrically sighs on Sky. “It’s a calm annihilation.”
83 min: The away section blasts out a chorus of Ole’s at the Wheel by KC and the Sunshine Band. The second time that’s happened here in a fortnight.
81 min: Space for Foden down the inside-left channel. He reaches the edge of the box and drives low and hard across De Gea. He beats the keeper, but the ball grazes the bottom of the right-hand post and out for a corner. So close to the killer blow.
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80 min: The biggest cheer of the afternoon from the United fans comes as Van de Beek replaces Fred. It’s not entirely clear which side of that equation they’re happier about.
78 min: The Old Trafford crowd are beginning to sound their displeasure. City are running down the clock without too much trouble here.
76 min: Cancelo’s low shot is deflected through a thicket of players to Gundogan, who floats a chip across the face of the United goal, left to right. De Bruyne meets the dropping ball with a spectacular volley ... spectacular only in the sense that he sends a full shank spinning into the crowd in the slapstick fashion.
74 min: A City free kick out on the left, McTominay having bundled into Gundogan. Ronaldo clears Foden’s cross. “It seems like whoever lost that Man Utd vs Tottenham game was going to end up with Conte as manager,” writes Jon Collins. “United may have got the three points but watching this I think that longer term Spurs may have got the better deal.”
73 min: Shaw walks off very gingerly, assisted by United’s medical men. Telles takes his place.
72 min: Shaw goes down again. He’s surely got to go off now.
71 min: City continue to stroke the ball around. United forced to chase more shadows.
69 min: ... but gathers himself and opts to stay on. Telles, preparing to come on in his stead, puts his bib back on.
68 min: Shaw is down, having come second best in an aerial challenge with Rodri. He looks a little groggy ...
Updated
66 min: Gundogan should trap a long pass along the inside-left channel. He doesn’t get the ball under total control, though, and the chance for a one-on-one with De Gea is gone. He slaps the ball into the side netting instead. United get away with one. Then Rashford comes on for Greenwood.
65 min: Cancelo beats Wan-Bissaka in a 50-50 with absurd ease, and the Old Trafford faithful are quick to tell their player what’s what. The first second-half rumblings of annoyance.
64 min: City have re-established their control of this game. An awful lot of passing going on, as they pull United this way and that, presumably with a view to getting the hosts all tuckered out.
62 min: Foden whistles a low cross into the United box from the left. Gundogan hopes to bundle home from close range, but Lindelof reads the danger and knocks out for a corner. Nothing comes of the set piece.
61 min: City draw some triangles in the middle of the pitch. Patient probing.
59 min: City aren’t quite as fluid as they were in the first half. By way of illustration, Gundogan sends a simple pass straight out of play. Greenwood then comes in from the right and drags a low, weak shot wide right.
58 min: Ronaldo performs one of his trademark stepovers out on the left wing, a soft-shoe shuffle that draws Silva into a rash sliding tackle. Into the book he goes.
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56 min: It’s City’s turn to sit back. Rope-a-dope tactics? United have no choice but to go for it, but they’re leaving space behind them.
54 min: De Bruyne and Silva combine to slip Gundogan into the United box down the left. From the tightest of angles, he manufactures a cross-cum-shot that somehow twangs off the crossbar and away. That was nearly as farcical as the second goal.
52 min: That state of affairs hasn’t stopped Pep from leaping around the technical area in a very animated fashion. United are enjoying a bit of sterile possession in the middle of the park, and he’s clearly far from happy about it, giving his team the what-for.
50 min: This second half hasn’t quite got going yet.
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48 min: Greenwood tears down the right and is unceremoniously blocked by Cancelo, who is booked for the deliberate obstruction. Fernandes takes the resulting free kick, and curls across the front of the six-yard box. Inexplicably, nobody in red attacks it, and the nearest man Ronaldo was offside anyway.
47 min: City stroke the ball around the back for a while, back in the old routine.
United get the ball rolling for the second half. No more back three: Bailly is replaced by Sancho as Ole rolls the dice. The arrival of Sancho is met with a round of applause. It’s still tipping down.
Half-time entertainment. On Sky, Roy Keane is slowly coming to the boil, and may be worth listening to after the match, depending on how this pans out. “I give up on these players. These are international footballers! I give up. Unless United do something drastic, it’ll be another four or five.”
Half-time postbag. “I could have sworn I just read the words ‘Ronaldo leads a press’” - Ian Copestake.
“Without the benefit of TV coverage may I ask, did you mean to write this: Ronaldo leads a press on the City back line” - John Little.
You’ve got me doubting myself now.
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HALF TIME: Manchester United 0-2 Manchester City
United trudge off to boos again.
GOAL! Manchester United 0-2 Manchester City (Silva 45)
Strange goal, this. Cancelo, in space on the left, curls towards the far post. The United defence hesitates en masse. Shaw lets the ball bounce on the right-hand corner of the six-yard box. At full stretch, he pokes towards the bottom right. The ball slaps De Gea’s chest, and the keeper bundles clumsily into the goal. Silence, before everyone realises the ball has gently rolled into the back of the net.
Updated
43 min: Wan-Bissaka sticks out a leg to intercept, only to concede a corner. City don’t do anything with their gift.
42 min: BREAKING NEWS: It’s raining heavily in Manchester.
40 min: Wan-Bissaka drives down the middle and slips a ball down the right channel to release Ronaldo into the City box. Ronaldo welts towards the bottom right. Ederson parries, and the flag goes up correctly for offside anyway. For all City’s dominance, United have had a couple of good chances to equalise now. Ronaldo, looking along the line, should have held his run there.
39 min: Silva busies himself down the right, beating two men and threatening to break into acres of space. McTominay sticks out a telescopic leg and stops him just in time.
37 min: Gundogan shimmies into a little pocket down the left and looks for Jesus in the middle with a dinked cross. Maguire clears. This is a full-on rearguard action. It’s not totally clear how United have restricted the damage to a single goal, De Gea’s antics notwithstanding, but here we are.
36 min: City are in total control again. Old Trafford is a significantly quieter place now.
34 min: De Bruyne slaps a shot towards the bottom left. De Gea saves again. From the resulting corner, Cancelo drives goalwards. Silva tries to poke the ball past De Gea, but the keeper is in Octopus Mode this afternoon and isn’t about to be beaten here. What a one-man show this is by De Gea!
33 min: Foden is the total boss of Wan-Bissaka down the left. He whips a low cross into the six-yard box. Lindelof nearly pinball-flippers another own goal into the bottom left. De Gea saves his blushes.
Updated
32 min: United are sitting very deep again, perhaps having thought twice about pressing. Probably wise.
30 min: De Gea follows one stunning save with another. From the corner, he fingertips Cancelo’s rising drive over the bar. Nothing comes of the next corner, but United are hanging on again.
29 min: Yep. Foden romps into acres down the left, Wan-Bissaka nowhere to be seen. His low cross is met by De Bruyne, whose shot is blocked but spins to Jesus, to his right. Jesus looks certain to score, the right-hand portion of the net unguarded. He whips goalwards, but De Gea appears out of nowhere to tip over. A sensational save!
28 min: That’s encouraged United to come out and play a bit. Ronaldo leads a press on the City back line. But there’s more space for City to play in, once they beat it. United playing into City’s hands?
26 min: ... and all of a sudden, United nearly score! Shaw curls into the box, low and hard from the left. Ronaldo meets the ball on the penalty spot and screeches a first-time effort goalwards. Anywhere other than straight at Ederson, and it was 1-1. But the goalie saves, and Greenwood can’t deal with the rebound that comes flashing at him at warp speed. So much better from United!
Updated
25 min: Ronaldo drops deep in the hope of getting something going for United. A rare period of possession in City territory ends when Wan-Bissaka’s cross from the right fails to beat the first man. Better, though. Baby steps.
23 min: De Bruyne and Cancelo work their way down the left, Wan-Bissaka having gifted them possession. They win a corner. Nothing comes of that, but United are giving the ball away an awful lot, and there are the beginnings of a few murmurs in the stands.
21 min: Maguire is slightly fortunate to get away with a light rake on De Bruyne as the pair high-kick at a loose ball. Just a free kick, nothing more.
20 min: Gundogan shimmies out of a tight spot in the centre circle and slips a pass down the right for De Bruyne. United, having pushed upfield en masse, find themselves light at the back. They’re very fortunate that De Bruyne, who had options either side, slips while in full flight.
18 min: De Bruyne very nearly releases Foden with a clever flick down the left channel. Just a bit too much on the pass. Goal kick. Before De Gea can take it, the crowd give their team a huge roar of encouragement. They need it.
17 min: Fernandes screams at his own defence, urging them to calm down and push upfield a little bit. He’s extremely agitated, and could do with considering his own advice.
16 min: Wan-Bissaka comes through the back of Foden and concedes a free kick just to the left of the United box. Foden gets back up and discusses tactics with De Bruyne. The latter takes; United manage to get it clear. This is all City at the minute. Only seven percent of play so far has taken place in City’s final third.
14 min: De Bruyne crosses from a deep position on the right. The ball very nearly drops to Foden at the far post, but United breathe again as it sails out for a goal kick, just a few inches too high.
13 min: A neat exchange between Fernandes and Ronaldo gets the home juices flowing, but Fernandes then gifts the ball to Jesus, who romps up the other end and wins a throw near the corner flag. Nothing comes of it, but United are struggling to bust out of their own half. City have enjoyed 72 percent of possession so far.
11 min: It’ll be interesting to see if United change their gameplan, having sat back for the most part during the opening exchanges, much good that it did them. Far too early to panic, but they’ll need to step out at some point.
9 min: That’s United’s worst fears realised, then. An early chance missed, followed by the ultimate sucker punch up the other end. Shades of the Fernandes miss and the Keita goal in that game. The Old Trafford masses are suddenly quiet and jittery.
GOAL! Manchester United 0-1 Manchester City (Bailly og 7)
7 min: Walker is given an absurd amount of time to line up a cross from the right. He whips one to the far post. Gundogan can’t quite force home. Lindelof half clears. Cancelo strides down the left and fizzes a low cross into the six-yard box. Bailly slides in, and slices the ball over De Gea and into the roof of the net.
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5 min: Fred slips Ronaldo into a bit of space down the left. Walker forces Ronaldo to turn tail, but then Jesus comes across and clumsily, needlessly bowls him over. Free kick. Everyone lines up on the edge of the box. Shaw curls one in, a fine delivery. Maguire wins the header, but can’t get it on target from eight yards. He should have worked Ederson at the very least. It was a great chance.
3 min: Silva cuts into the United box from the right and looks for the top-left corner. He’s miles off. Goal kick.
2 min: City spend the opening couple of minutes passing the ball around the back. Cancelo suddenly hits long for De Bruyne who can’t control. Ronaldo tries to counter but is stopped unceremoniously by Walker. A breezy start.
City get the 186th Manchester derby underway ... but only after the knee is taken, to more warm applause. A huge roar. They’ll be kicking towards the Stretford End in this first half.
Before kick-off, the teams gather around the centre circle to remember the fallen ... and commemorate the recent passing of former United assistant Walter Smith. Both managers lay wreathes pitchside. The Last Post is met with a sustained around of warm, heartfelt applause. RIP.
The teams are out! United in red, City sky blue, all exactly as it should be. A scorching atmosphere, the crowd of over 75,000 inside Old Trafford giving it plenty. Pantomime boos for City as they emerge from the tunnel; a huge ovation for the home side when they turn up. The Stone Roses blaring from the speakers. This is the one all right. Manchester derby coming right up!
| Pos | Team | P | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chelsea | 10 | 23 | 25 |
| 2 | Liverpool | 10 | 21 | 22 |
| 3 | Man City | 10 | 14 | 20 |
| 4 | West Ham | 10 | 9 | 20 |
| 5 | Man Utd | 10 | 4 | 17 |
Pre-match entertainment. While away the countdown until kick-off with this retro Joy of Six.
Pre-match postbag. “The name Fred is the real-life equivalent of Morris-Dancing Fiver’s regular appearance in the Fiver’s England squads. But how in the name of Sir Alex Ferguson does he manage to get on the team sheet too?” - Justin Kavanagh.
“I too am anticipating a psychedelic game today. Shame Trippier can’t be here but there wouldn’t be mushroom for him in United’s seven-man defence” - Dean Kinsella.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer speaks to Sky Sports. “Unfortunately Edinson didn’t make it, but Marcus was cleared this morning and he is available to part join us if he needs to. Everyone knows what Mason can do, it’s a good chance for him, he’s looking forward to his job. It’s a local derby, we know what it means for everyone, we know what it means for the table, if we get three points you’re equal, if they get them we’re too far behind to be happy. You have to use [results like the Liverpool 5-0] as motivation, because you can’t make those mistakes again. I liked the attitude and focus this morning. We all know we’re up for a difficult game and we’re ready for it.”
Pep Guardiola talks to Sky. “This is not the first important game or derby game the players have played in their careers, nor the first time they are here. But it is important to be emotionally stable. The players are professional, they like playing football for this type of game, it is normal. We want a left foot on the left side, a right foot on the right side, basically that is the reason why [Grealish is on the bench]. In the bad moments, stick together, in the good moments enjoy, be clinical.” He’s also asked what the key to winning derby matches is, and flippantly says something about scoring four goals in the first ten minutes. He seems pretty relaxed.
United make three changes in the wake of the 2-2 draw at Atalanta. Raphael Varane has a hamstring injury, Paul Pogba is still suspended, and Marcus Rashford drops to the bench. Back in: Victor Lindelof, Fred and Mason Greenwood. There’s no Edinson Cavani; he’s picked up a knock.
City also make three changes, after their 4-1 victory over Bruges. Jack Grealish sits this one out on the bench, alongside Riyad Mahrez, while Aymeric Laporte is suspended after his red card against Crystal Palace. Kevin de Bruyne, Ruben Dias and Gabriel Jesus return to the starting XI.
The teams
Manchester United: de Gea, Lindelof, Bailly, Maguire, Wan Bissaka, Bruno Fernandes, McTominay, Fred, Shaw, Greenwood, Ronaldo.
Subs: Martial, Rashford, Lingard, Dalot, Sancho, Henderson, Alex Telles, Matic, van de Beek.
Manchester City: Ederson, Walker, Stones, Dias, Joao Cancelo, Gundogan, Rodri, Bernardo Silva, Gabriel Jesus, De Bruyne, Foden.
Subs: Ake, Sterling, Grealish, Zinchenko, Steffen, Fernandinho, Mahrez, Carson, Palmer.
Referee: Michael Oliver (Northumberland).
Updated
Preamble
We’ve been here before. Manchester United go into battle at Old Trafford against big rivals, buoyed by a sensational Cristiano Ronaldo performance against Atalanta. Last time round, Paul Scholes peeled back the paper, examined the cracks, predicted chaos against Liverpool, and look what happened. This time, it’s his fellow BT pundit and erstwhile team-mate Rio Ferdinand’s turn to light the warning flare. “They can’t have that second-half performance,” Rio said in the immediate wake of Ronaldo’s smash and grab in Italy. “If they go out with that second-half performance against Manchester City, they get slapped again by three, four, five.”
So this could be another painful afternoon for United, as they welcome the champions of England. Especially as the home side has only won three of the past 16 Manchester derbies, the away team winning ten. On the other hand, United are unbeaten in four against City in the league; they’re unpredictable to the point of being psychedelic, the sort of team that follows up a 5-0 home defeat with a 3-0 away win; and then there’s Ronaldo. Good luck, then, confidently predicting the outcome of this. Not least because there’s a fair chance it could be a high-scoring cracker. Let’s hope so, anyway. Kick off is at 12.30pm GMT. It’s on!
