De Bruyne doubts
There are rarely doubts about Kevin De Bruyne, undoubtedly the best midfielder in the Premier League.
But the notion touted by MEN Sport in midweek, that he was maybe not the best option to start this derby, with Ilkay Gundogan and Bernardo Silva in such good form, was slightly mischievous.
It became less so as De Bruyne started abysmally and did not get a lot better.
The facts that others were equally awful, and that he always retains the capacity to pull something out of the fire, spared him from the hook.
Selection inquest
Whenever City don’t win, or even don’t play too well, there is an inquest on Pep Guardiola’s team selection.
But playing Joao Cancelo and Aleks Zinchenko was a strange one. City invariably play with three at the back, one of the full backs pushing into midfield, and it seemed to make sense that Kyle Walker, whose power and pace make him a good weapon against counter-attacking teams like United.
Phil Foden also made an instant impact as sub, while Raheem Sterling has not been great lately.
United are the new City
United will be happy enough, but the fact is that they are still 11 points behind the Blues with ten games to go.
With Liverpool imploding, United were harbouring title ambitions not so long ago – maybe they still do, but it would require a collapse on City’s behalf.
Instead, their recent derby successes have ultimately meant nothing, other than establishing some local pride.
It is reminiscent of when United were the best team in the land in the Noughties, but City frequently managed to be the fly in their ointment. Derby joy, but the pleasure will belong to City in the long term
Jesus confidence
Giving away a penalty in the opening minute is not the best way to start a derby, especially when you have just boosted your confidence in midweek with two goals.
But Jesus never truly recovered from that moment and was hauled off in the second half.
With Sergio Aguero watching on from the stands, still short of match sharpness, the need for a new striker in the summer has never been more evident, especially on a weekend when Erling Haaland bagged a couple against Bayern Munich.
Sterling regression
While City have progressed enormously in the last two months, Raheem Sterling appears to be going backwards.
The Sterling from the Manuel Pellegrini era appears to have returned – running up blind alleys, not affecting games – and missing big chances.
It is likely to be a momentary problem, but his place in the team, on form, should be in doubt.
