Manchester City vs Manchester United Match Report

A Blue Moon, surrounded by Red Stars.

United come out on top in the highly contested derby 1-2, courtesy of goals from Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial.

 On a cold and crisp night in Manchester, it was the Red Devils who reigned supreme in the Manchester Derby.

"Claustrophobically close, yet galaxies apart spiritually." It was the 179th encounter between the "historic'' United team, and the "modern" City team and it did not disappoint.

Luke Shaw made his first Premier League start since August. City goalkeeper Ederson was without a clean sheet in the last six games.

A major attraction of the game was the matchup between Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Raheem Sterling, which Wan-Bissaka won more or less. He chased Sterling down wherever he went and made his life very problematic for ninety minutes.

City had a strong start to the game, dominating possession as usual. It was a digging start for United but they found their feet in the game as the match progressed.

Manchester United's quality up front made City's defence fearful. The pace of their front three made it a nightmare for City's back four to deal with them.

Considering United's past matches, they played fairly maturely in today's game. Not only their pace up front, but the coordination and the passing among Martial, Rashford and James was sensational.

Before the half-hour mark, Bernardo Silva fouled Marcus Rashford inside the penalty area. VAR gave the call in favour of a penalty and Rashford converted sending Ederson the wrong way.

Again, in the 29th minute, Martial played a one-two with Daniel James, who was not marked by Angelino as tightly as required, and fired a low shot towards the near post which Ederson was unable to save and scored.

This was the first time City had been 2-0 down in a game at home since Pep took charge. Last time they were 2-0 down at home was against Liverpool in November, 2015.

There was a shameful moment in the game when over-excited fans decided to throw a projectile at Fred who was on his way to take a corner kick.

City lacked the magical touch we have become accustomed to see from them, particularly in the last couple of seasons. Nothing they tried seemed to make an impact.

This was not just City vs United, not just the Manchester Derby, it was about the Premier League Title. Losing would mean that City go a whooping 14 points behind leaders Liverpool and probably 6 points behind Leicester City.

Aaron Wan-Bissaka acted as a brick wall throughout the match. He was robust and sure, and acted as an impediment to City's and Pep's ideas.

There was a moment of hope for the City fans when Otamendi scored a header from Riyad Mahrez's corner in the 85th minute. But, in the end his goal just made them twitch. They remained tough and brave in defence and saw off the game.

This is the first time City have lost two home games in a row. This is their worst start to a season under Pep Guardiola. Almost all of City's weaknesses were highlighted in this game by United. Certainly is a path to follow for other teams.

Given the amount of attacking football City play, they need a corresponding high press in defence which just wasn't there. This lack of adequate high press led to Martial's goal and many more clear cut chances for United.

Former Manchester United player and assistant manager, Ryan Giggs remarked, "This is one of the best United performances in recent history, after Sir Alex."

Next up for Manchester City is Dinamo Zagreb in the UEFA Champions League on the 11th of December, after two straight draws against Atalanta and Shakhtar Donetsk. They are first in their Champions League group with 11 points, followed by Shakhtar with 6 points.