Manchester United and Manchester City played out a goalless draw at Old Trafford in the Premier League on Saturday.
The Red Devils performed well in the first half, although Riyad Mahrez had the best opportunity and was denied by David de Gea.
The second half saw little chances, with Marcus Rashford winning a penalty after a Kyle Walker foul but it was ruled out for offside.
Ultimately, a draw does little for the fortunes of either team although City move above Aston Villa into eighth.
After their heartbreaking European exit, the draw means United remain seventh – four points adrift of the summit of the league.
Manchester United
David de Gea – 7. The Spaniard made a great save to deny Mahrez, when the Algerian perhaps should have scored. He also showed tremendous poise and awareness to stop the ball going out of play and kick downfield.
Aaron Wan-Bissaka – 6. He was terrorised by Sterling in the first half, but he recovered in the second period and held his own against the pacey winger.
Victor Lindelof – 7. The Swede almost assisted McTominay with a flicked header on an early corner and at the other end, he brilliantly defended Stones when the 26-year old would have surely scored.
Harry Maguire – 7. United’s captain was strong, and ensured that Jesus hardly got a sniff.
Luke Shaw – 7. Shaw performed admirably throughout although he was at fault for the Mahrez opportunity.
Scott McTominay – 6. A quiet night for McTominay, with Manchester City dominating the midfield.
Fred – 6. Fred picked up a knock early when De Bruyne clipped him late, and he never seemed to recover. He ambled around and did his job, but it was a quiet night for the Brazilian.
Paul Pogba – 7. The Frenchman served up an emphatic reminder of his quality. He was United’s best attacking player,
Bruno Fernandes – 7. Sloppy at times in the first half, missing a decent chance and miscuing a fairly simple pass. However, he never stopped running and was at the heart of United’s best passing moves.
Mason Greenwood – 6. The budding star was anonymous throughout, and his control let him down a few times.
Marcus Rashford – 6. Won a penalty that was unfortunately offside, but was otherwise quiet. He should have done better when played in late but his touch let him down.
Manchester City
Ederson – 5. The Brazilian is usually so reliable when passing out from the back, but a loose ball was intercepted by Fernandes and nearly led to a United goal.
Kyle Walker – 5. He was lucky that his foul on Rashford was subsequently ruled out for offside, as it was yet another blip on Walker’s resume. The list is growing.
Ruben Dias – 7. It was a quiet night for the Portuguese centre-back, which is only a good thing for a defender. United had no joy through the middle, and Dias was one of the reasons why.
John Stones – 7. Perhaps should have done better when his header trickled harmlessly at De Gea, but he defended well.
Joao Cancelo – 6. He started well, but his influence faded and he was caught in possession on several occasions.
Fernandinho – 7. The Brazilian made his 230th appearance for Manchester City in the Premier League, and Fernandinho rolled the back the years with a showing of steel.
Rodri – 5. The holding midfielder sat back and did the dirty work as usual, but he gave the ball away more than once with some horrendously sloppy play.
Kevin De Bruyne – 6. The Belgian did what he does – controls the Manchester City attack. He linked up well with Sterling and Mahrez, but he snatched at a shot after the Algerian was denied by de Gea.
Riyad Mahrez – 6. The Algerian missed the best chance in the first half when he was played in by De Bruyne, but he could only fire right at De Gea.
Raheem Sterling – 7. The England forward tore Wan-Bissaka apart in the first half, and while he was shackled in the second half, he remained an outlet for the visitors.
Gabriel Jesus – 5. The Brazilian spurned a fine opportunity when clipped into him by Mahrez, and he was almost nervous in possession. A night to forget.
