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Man Utd 2-0 Man City: Report, Player Ratings & Reaction as Ederson's Gifts Derby to the Red Devils

​Manchester United picked up a crucial 2-0 win over rivals Manchester City, with goalkeeper Ederson making big errors for both goals.

Both sides had early chances, with Raheem Sterling's curling effort palmed away by David De Gea, before Daniel James had his shot saved by Ederson on the other end.

But it was the hosts who took the lead when Anthony Martial side-footed it home from Bruno Fernandes' free-kick, with Ederson easily beaten at his near post.

And they were unlucky to not get a penalty towards the end of the first-half as Fred was adjudged to have dived following a challenge by centre-back Nicolás Otamendi in the box.

After the break, ​Sergio Agüero thought he had equalised for the away side, only for the goal to be ruled out for offside. Pep Guardiola then threw on ​Riyad Mahrez and ​Gabriel Jesus for Agüero and Bernando Silva in a bid to wrestle control of the game, and started to dominate the ball and press United back into their own half.

Both James and Jesus forced saves out of both goalkeepers as the second-half went on. Sterling then had the best chance for the visitors, but failed to land a clean connection in diverting a cross past into the United goal.

United managed to hold on, and in the dying stages substitute Scott McTominay fired past Ederson from distance after the goalkeeper gifted him the ball to ensure derby day belonged to the red half of Manchester.

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Manchester United

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Key Talking Point​

Bernardo Silva,Harry Maguire

The significant inclusions of both captain ​Harry Maguire and Aaron Wan-Bissaka looked crucial as it gave ​Man Utd a strong defensive presence at the back. With Ole Gunnar Solskjær also selecting Brandon Williams at left wing-back, it meant the Red Devils had a similar game plan to when they faced ​Chelsea in January, looking to break quickly as soon as the away side's attack broke down.

And despite looking shaky in the early stages, the hosts steadied themselves as the game went on. Wan-Bissaka was particularly impressive as he kept opposing winger Sterling quiet while also flying down the other end to put in crosses for Martial. Williams kept Phil Foden quiet on the other wing, nullifying any creativity from Guardiola's side.

In the second-half, the Red Devils were pinned back a lot more as their rivals looked to dominate the ball more often. It was no surprise to see Solskjær send on Eric Bailly and Scott McTominay in the latter stages to help see out the victory for the home side. 

Despite the mounting pressure on the United backline, they managed to pull through and keep out the City attackers in one of their best defensive performances of the season.

Player Ratings

Starting XI: De Gea (6); Lindelöf (6), Maguire (7), Shaw (6); Wan-Bissaka (8), Matić (6), Fred (7), Williams (7); Fernandes (8*); James (7), Martial (8)


Substitutes: Bailly (6), McTominay (6), Ighalo (N/A)

Bruno Fernandes

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Bruno Fernandes

The goal Martial scored in the first-half was all down to the ball from Portuguese maestro Bruno Fernandes. He was impressive with his passing and ability to spot openings for ​Martial and James, while also making himself a nuisance to Rodri and Ilkay Gündoğan.

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Manchester City


Key Talking Point




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Brandon Williams,Phil Foden

With back problems sidelining star midfielder ​Kevin De Bruyne, it was Phil Foden who was chosen by Guardiola to create chances in his absence. The 19-year-old impressed in the Carabao Cup final victory over ​Aston Villa and was subsequently entrusted by his manager to provide the spark and flair that his Belgian teammate often does for the Citizens.

Yet despite linking up well in the early stages with ​Sterling, he was unable to have a major impact in proceedings.

In the second-half, he became a lot more involved. He had a good effort tipped over by De Gea and looked to take on opposing defender Williams a lot more often down the right-flank. After Mahrez came on, he played more centrally and his influence in the game began to grow as a result.

Yet the change came too late for ​City, with a key takeaway post-game for Guardiola being that the young midfielder needs to start future games in the centre of the park to provide the influence on the ball that is a strength of his game.

Player Ratings

Starting XI: Ederson (5); Cancelo (6), Otamendi (6), Fernandinho (6), Zinchenko (6); B Silva (6), Rodri (6), Gündoğan (6); Foden (6), Agüero (6), Sterling (6)


Substitutes: Mahrez (7), Jesus (6), Mendy (6)

​Riyad Mahrez

 

Riyad Mahrez,Luke Shaw

When Man City looked for a spark off the bench, it was Riyad Mahrez who provided it. The Algerian looked dangerous on the right-wing and gave Williams all sorts of problems in the second-half, even forcing Solskjær to withdraw the young defender in the late stages of the game.

Looking Ahead

Unite next travel to Austria to play LASK in their Europa League tie on Thursday, while the City host ​Arsenal in their rearranged ​Premier League clash the night before.


Source : 90min