MU traveled to the home of neighbor Man City this time with the mentality of the underdog team after losing 5 out of the last 6 Manchester derbies. The "Red Devils" were even more worried when Kevin De Bruyne returned to the starting lineup of Man City after making 4 assists for Erling Haaland to score 5 goals in the FA Cup in midweek.
Rashford (right) opened the scoring for MU with a beautiful shot
Injuries, poor form and suspensions have caused chaos in United's defence this season. And any hopes Erik ten Hag may have had of a solid backline for the Manchester derby have been dashed by recent injuries to centre-backs Lisandro Martinez and Harry Maguire. The Dutchman has been forced to rely on a quartet of Diogo Dalot, Jonny Evans, Raphael Varane and Victor Lindelof.
Seemingly "knowing their place", MU proactively played with a low formation and waited for an opening to counterattack. And surprisingly, coach Ten Hag's team soon succeeded with this intention when Marcus Rashford opened the score in the 8th minute with a beautiful "cannon shot" from outside the penalty area.
Man City's strikers could not take advantage of good opportunities in the first half.
The "Red Devils" then had to endure terrible pressure from Man City. The Etihad team completely controlled the game with overwhelming possession (74% compared to 26%), launching 10 shots (MU only had 2 shots) in the first half. In a brilliant day, goalkeeper Andre Onana (MU) continuously discouraged Man City's strikers.
Ten Hag's men held firm to maintain their lead after the first 45 minutes. But in all fairness, Pep Guardiola's men had themselves to blame for a number of missed opportunities. The most regrettable was Erling Haaland's unbelievable shot over the bar in front of an empty goal at the end of the first half.
Foden shines with a double to help Man City beat MU
MU continued to suffer in the second half but their crowded defense only held firm until the 56th minute. Phil Foden was the one who broke the deadlock for Man City with a beautiful shot from the edge of the penalty area into the top corner, equalizing for the home team.
Onana's goal remained on alert for the remainder of the match. And once again, Foden became the "Red Devils" defense's nemesis with a goal with 10 minutes left. The England international had a sweet memory in his 100th Premier League match when he shined with a cross-angle shot, helping Man City reverse the score to lead 2-1.
MU's hopes of getting a point were extinguished by Haaland with a goal that sealed the 3-1 win for coach Guardiola's team in the 90+1 minute. It was the Norwegian striker's 18th goal in the Premier League this season for the English champions.
Coach Ten Hag will find it difficult to keep his seat.
With the victory over rival MU, Man City regained 2nd place and maintained a 3-point gap, 1 point behind the leading team Liverpool in the English championship race this season.
On the contrary, the defeat in the Manchester derby this time made MU further and further away from the hope of competing for a place in the Champions League next season because they are 11 points behind the 4th-placed team, Aston Villa. The defeat also "red alert" for the future of coach Ten Hag at Old Trafford as the "Red Devils" face the risk of going empty-handed this season.
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