Manchester City 3-1 Manchester United
Manchester City went back to the top of the league with a scintillating win in the Manchester Derby, thanks to goals from David Silva, Sergio Aguero and Ilkay Gundogan.
Premier League: Manchester City vs Manchester United was the biggest attraction in world football this weekend, and the Sky Blues came out comfortably on top in another classic derby. Anthony Martial pulled one back for the Reds, but the Manchester City vs Manchester United odds always pointed to a home win and it was rarely in doubt.
Liverpool had already taken the top spot in the early kick-off with a 2-0 win over Fulham, and that was just the motivation needed for the Sky Blues to go for the Reds.
Highlights of the game
Manchester United have developed a worrying habit of starting very slowly in recent weeks, and the absence of Paul Pogba through injury didn’t cheer their fans any when that news came through. And it was City who started on the front foot, passing the ball around crisply and stretching the Red Devils from the off. It took just 12 minutes for them to go ahead.
Raheem Sterling put over a brilliant cross which was pulled back across the box by Bernardo Silva, and when the ball landed at the feet of David Silva, he hammered it past David de Gea and high into the net.
The Manchester City vs Manchester United highlights will show a contrast in styles, with Pep’s Blues playing an artful game while Jose has a team of pragmatists.
With the knack of getting goals in the big moments, Marcus Rashford has been a key player for the Red Devils. He was handed a start as the most likely player to nick a goal for United. But when he broke quickly, he found himself all alone and lost control. The Sky Blues continued to dominate but, credit to the Red Devils’ defence, they headed into half-time with just a one-goal lead.
The big question was, could Jose’s team put on a second-half show to turn a game around yet again? After all, they came back in a spectacular way last season to delay City’s title celebrations. Could they do it again?
The simple answer was ‘no’.
The Sky Blues came out firing again at the start of the second half and doubled their lead on 48 minutes in a classic move. Sergio Aguero broke quickly and played a smart one-two with Riyad Mahrez before smashing the ball through De Gea’s hands and into the net.
Raheem Sterling could have made it three when he was clean through, but he was too ponderous and got crowded by the United defence. The City keeper, Ederson, handed the Reds a lifeline, unnecessarily bringing Romelu Lukaku down. Anthony Martial coolly converted the spot kick.
That was some gift, and it breathed confidence into Manchester United as Pep Guardiola looked furious. The Red Devils began to play further up the pitch to give City the chance to break, but Leroy Sane wasted his chance blazing high and wide. But it was game over on 86 minutes when Bernardo Silva swung the ball across, and Ilkay Gundogan set himself before firing the third.
Key Statistics
The Sky Blues have the Manchester bragging rights but, more importantly, they are on a seven-match winning run and have won all seven home league games.
At SBOBET odds of 1.36, the Sky Blues were fully expected to win. With 65 per cent possession and 17 shots to six, this was a master class.
Manchester United kept just one clean sheet in the Premier League, but
Anthony Martial has now scored in each of the last five Premier League games. He joins an illustrious list of former Reds to have achieved that feat, including Wayne Rooney, Cristiano Ronaldo and the great Eric Cantona.
The two most successful managers in the modern game have their own head-to-head which now reads 11 wins to Pep and five to Jose.
What’s next?
After the international break, the Sky Blues take a trip to the East End of London to see an old friend, Manuel Pellegrini. Their former coach is in charge of West Ham and has spent freely in his first season, but the Hammers made a slow start to the campaign. They have fared better over the last few weeks, though, and Marko Arnautovic is in impressive form.
The Red Devils have a chance to get back on the winning trail when they entertain Roy Hodgson’s Crystal Palace. The Eagles are on a poor run and sit outside the relegation zone on goal difference alone.
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