Manchester City 1 Manchester Utd 2
Guardiola’s City left stunned by derby rivals’ tactics as revitalised United celebrate...
WHATEVER happened to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer at Manchester United — and few have been betting on a long stay — you thought that at least he would always have Paris.
That giddy, spring night in March, where an outstanding performance and a 3-1 victory over Paris Saint-Germain sent United into the Champions League quarter-finals, secured Solskjaer the manager’s job. Yet it also precipitated the collapse that has brought so much uncertainty to his future.
Well, now he has something to equal Paris, perhaps even to surpass that night. He has an evening to remember at the Etihad, a performance which surpassed anything his team has produced under his reign and a derby victory that will live long in the memory.
The scoreline made it look close. In reality, in as scintillating a display of football as we have seen this season, United took City apart in the opening 30 minutes. They should have been 4-0 up.
Perhaps the fact that it was only two indicates the underlying weaknesses. But this was the United the club envisioned when Solskjaer was appointed; audacious, exhilarating, fearless. They were a throwback, even if this was victory conceived in counter-attack excellence. There are times when City, for all their consistent excellence, simply disintegrate.
Pep Guardiola is so convinced of the his tactical plan, so bold in its execution, that perhaps he forgets that he is playing 34-year-old Fernandinho and an unsteady John Stones as centre-halves.
As such, asking Angelino, taking up a position on the left wing, to get forward along with Kyle Walker might seem unnecessarily bold.
Perhaps they expected the United that turned up at Bournemouth away last month? They got something quite different. That opening 30 minutes was Solskjaer’s finest tactical moment in his reign so far. We have seen Jurgen Klopp’s
Liverpool do this to City and Real Madrid and Barcelona do it to Guardiola’s Bayern Munich. But Solskjaer has yet to prove he exists in such exalted coaching heights. But here was a game plan perfectly designed and implemented.
City, for a 30-minute spell, were cut asunder. Scott McTominay and Fred were willing water carriers in midfield, sitting deep, picking up scraps. Yet as soon as they had done so, they delivered the ball into Jesse Lingard, Marcus Rashford, Anthony Martial and Daniel James. They may be raw, they might not be the world’s greatest attacking force, but they are quick.
Time and time again they exposed Angelino at left-back and City’s back four in general. United sat off City, ensured they did not lose the ball high up the pitch but simply played quick, direct balls straight to their front men. It was a steal straight from Klopp’s playbook but that will not worry United.
As early as the second minute James was played in wide right and shot straight at Ederson when he should have scored. In the eighth minute, Rashford strode away from City’s chasing players, played a lovely inside pass to Lingard who, again, found Ederson rather than the net. In the 16th minute, Rashford drilled the ball to James, who sprinted away, played in Martial, whose shot was again saved by Ederson. Yet the pattern was clear. City had no answer. Thus it was no surprise when Rashford, dribbling with pace inside the area, won himself a penalty after being barged aside by Bernardo Silva, even if it took VAR to give it.
Rashford is pretty cool in these situations. The cacophony of boos and whistle emanating from around the Etihad appeared not to faze him. He stuttered and put it into the right-hand corner.
Another superb chance arrived in the 25th minute, United countering through Lingard and Martial, yet on this occasion Rashford did lose his head, passing his shot well wide rather than adding the second. He did better in the 27th minute. Played in by Dan James, he curled a ball towards the top corner only to see it rebound off the bar.
United’s second came in the 29th minute. Initially it looked as though the moment had gone when Martial failed to play in James. Yet the pair weighed up their options and played a series of passes around Fernandinho and Angelino at the end of which Martial drilled the ball into the bottom corner. There had to be reaction. It came late in the half when Kevin De Bruyne swung in a cross for Gabriel Jesus. It was pretty much the first time a compact United line had been breached, but he headed wide.
In first-half added time, it seemed City’s moment had come when Walker drilled in a cross and Fred slipped and handled. United would surely be deflated by a penalty now. But Anthony Taylor and VAR ruled it accidental.
The second half was where the defensive block came into play. Harry Maguire and Victor Lindelof were excellent but Aaron WanBissaka excelled against Raheem Sterling, imposing both physique and personality on the winger.
Pretty much every corner City attempted to play long was headed away by Maguire — up until the 85th minute that was. When it looked as though De Bruyne was in to score in the 56th minute — his shot was away and the net about to ripple — it was Lindelof who slid in and deflected it away.
A few minutes later, Wan-Bissaka turned away an effort by Sterling, before Maguire blocked Bernardo Silva. David De Gea then tipped over Rodri’s long-range strike.
United held on until the 85th minute, when Nicolas Otamendi headed in De Bruyne’s corner. Yet United would hold on for their finest hour under Solskjaer.
Man City (4-3-3): Ederson 7; Walker 6, Fernandinho 5, Stones 5 (Otamendi 59min, 6.5), Angelino 4; De Bruyne 6, Rodri 5 (Gundogan 86), D Silva 7; B Silva 5 (Mahrez 65, 6.5), Jesus 5, Sterling 5. Booked: Walker, De Bruyne, B Silva. Subs (not used): Bravo, Mendy Cancelo, Foden
Man Utd (4-3-3): De Gea 7; Wan-Bissaka 8.5, Lindelof 8, Maguire 8.5, Shaw 7.5 (Young 88); McTominay 7.5, Lingard 8, (Tuanzebe 88) Fred 8; James 9, Martial 8 (Pereira 74, 6.5), Rashford 8.5. Booked: De Gea, Pereira. Subs (not used): Romero, Mata, Greenwood, Williams. Referee: A Taylor 6.