Sublime City tear United apart in derby mismatch
At the end of the Manchester derby Pep Guardiola wrapped an arm around Raheem Sterling before upbraiding him on the pitch.
The Manchester City fans loved the stepovers in the dying seconds, but the manager did not. There was no need to mock Manchester United in that way. The scoreline, the dominance, the 12-point advantage in the Premier League, the condemning of eighth-placed United to a negative goal difference had done it already.
This was a Manchester mauling; a derby mismatch that confirmed the gap between these two sides. Yes, United were still in it until the 86th minute when substitute Ilkay Gundogan scored City’s third goal, but the nature of it merely highlighted the gulf. There were 44 passes leading up to the goal and every City player was involved.
United did not get close and, as with the two other goals they conceded, were at fault with Nemanja Matic failing to track Gundogan as he ran on to Bernardo Silva’s pass before stroking the ball home from close range past David de Gea.
The goal confirmed the result that sent City back to the top of the league by two points and showed why they remain on course to become the first team to retain the title since United in 2009.
Liverpool have made their best start to a Premier League campaign, Tottenham Hotspur have made their best start to a Premier League campaign and, at Chelsea, Maurizio Sarri has made the best start of any manager new to the Premier League – and yet there is City. Still top. They have already played four of the five others in the “Big Six” and lost to none of them.
After a week of Football Leaks, controversy, understandable questioning of City’s cynical approach and damning headlines, they also condemned their city rivals to further negativity. Even United’s goal difference is now in the red.
This was poor from them, with manager Jose Mourinho, who had a miserable 300th game in the Premier League, later lamenting that he had been denied the chance to bring on Marouane Fellaini as a super-sub because he had to start with him due to Paul Pogba not being fit. What about his £52million midfielder Fred? Has it come to this? It was an odd argument, with Mourinho then dismissing “the way people who don’t understand football go for stats”, but those stats are very ugly. United are seven points off fourth-placed Spurs so even finishing in the top four and qualifying for the Champions League is looking like a struggle.
But the biggest indictment of all is that after a dozen league games United have that negative goal difference. Against their minus one, City have a goal difference of plus 31. That is an extraordinary comparison between the two teams.
There was another stat that hurt. United managed to string just five passes together in the first 10 minutes and claimed just 13 per cent of the possession.
Bizarrely, Ander Herrera was detailed to man-mark David Silva and Matic was sent out to do the same with Bernardo. So both City players just dragged their opponents wide. It left Fellaini free and United were all over the place as Fernandinho dominated him and John Stones, who has forged such an accomplished defensive partnership with Aymeric Laporte, stepped into midfield.
In truth, City did not even play that well in the first half and certainly not after they took the lead. For the opening goal, United were sliced apart with Sterling, under no pressure, allowed to centre. Luke Shaw allowed the ball to run through to Bernardo, who half-volleyed back across the penalty area. Sergio Aguero tried to reach it and was pulled back by Chris Smalling but it broke to Silva, who steadied himself and shot high into the net off De Gea’s outstretched arm.
It meant United had conceded in the first quarter of five of their past six league games and their negative tactics had to change. They pressed up the pitch and, as Guardiola later complained, his team appeared more concerned at merely keeping the ball – something United failed to do as they conceded their second goal early in the second half.
There was a poor clearance from De Gea as he fired the ball in to Jesse Lingard’s feet. Under pressure, Lingard’s first touch was heavy and, not for the first time, Fernandinho whipped the ball away to find Bernardo. He quickly moved it on to Aguero, who played a smart one-two with Riyad Mahrez to give himself a sight of goal.
It was all the ruthless Aguero needed. He hammered a fierce right-footed, rising shot that caught out De Gea with its velocity. A silver bullet from the silver-haired (after applying dye) forward who has nine goals in Manchester derbies, more than anyone else in the Premier League era.
United had been 2-0 down here last spring before mounting an extraordinary comeback. Pogba scored twice that day and, although they did not have him, Mourinho made changes with the first of those, bringing on Romelu Lukaku, producing an immediate return.
Just 30 seconds after being introduced, Lukaku ran on to Anthony Martial’s shrewd pass. Even though the striker was moving away from goal, Ederson came hurtling out, catching him. It was a clear penalty and Martial calmly sent Ederson the wrong way to score his sixth goal in five league games.
Instead of another comeback, though, it was City who redoubled their efforts and reasserted their dominance. They could not let this slip, surely?
Guardiola was furious, pacing the technical area, and he sent on Leroy Sane to add more pace but both the German and Sterling – eventually used as a central striker – wasted opportunities before Gundogan’s team goal.
Then there was the Sterling showboating. United’s Juan Mata took exception to it and then Guardiola made his point on the matter after the final whistle.
The manager was right. There was no need for it. Humiliation had already been inflicted on United.