Manchester City 4-1 Manchester United
Manchester City extended their lead at the top of the Premier League table to six points after winning a fantastic Manchester Derby in front of their own fans.
A first half double from man-of-the-match Kevin de Bruyne, punctuated by a brilliant Jadon Sancho goal gave City a half time lead; and when Riyad Mahrez hit a beauty mid way through the second half it was game over, though the Algerian added more pain to the Red Devils with a late fourth.
The Premier League 2022 updates from Saturday gave the Sky Blues an added incentive in this game after Liverpool closed the gap at the top to just three points with a narrow 1-0 victory over West Ham United. And they responded superbly with a classy display, while Manchester United slipped out of the top four.
Highlights of the game
The Sky Blues had a perfect start when they went a goal up with just five minutes on the clock, thanks to a combination of slick passing and United’s sloppy defending. Jack Grealish got free down the left side and played in Bernardo Silva who, in turn, rolled the ball back to De Bruyne and he fired through Harry Maguire’s legs and into the net.
The Red Devils responded well and Bruno Fernandes almost made a goal for Fred with a brilliant through ball but City keeper Ederson reacted quickly to snuff out the danger. But United were level on 22 minutes when Sancho scored his wonder goal. The former City youth player had jeers ringing in his ears but he silenced the home fans when he controlled a long ball from Paul Pogba before turning onto his right foot and curling a 20 yard beauty beyond Ederson and into the bottom right corner.
It only took the Sky Blues five minutes (again) to restore their lead and it was De Bruyne (again) who coolly lifted the ball into the roof of the net after David De Gea had repelled shots from Phil Foden and Silva. City were well on top in the early stages of the second half with De Bruyne and Foden both having good chances to double the lead; and Maguire was lucky to stay on the pitch when he chopped De Bruyne down in full flight.
It just seemed like a matter of time; and when the third City goal came it was a beauty. De Bruyne floated over an inch perfect corner to Mahrez, on the edge of the box, and he hit a first time half volley as sweet as you like into the bottom corner. And then, as the clock ticked down, City stroked the ball around among themselves while United stood and watched, and Mahrez beat the offside trap to make it 4-1.
This was a big day for Pep Guardiola as his side cemented their lead at the top of the table, but Manchester United’s top four hopes took a heavy blow.
Statistics
The Premier League 2022 betting odds are steadfastly backing the Manchester City title and results like this in the biggest games will make the difference.
The Red Devils played their part in the first half but were outthought and outgunned for much of the game, with 24 shots to five and ten to two on target making this a Sky Blue rout.
This opening goal was De Bruyne’s 50th in the Premier League, a fitting way to celebrate the 50th Premier League Manchester derby, if you’re a City fan of course.
What’s next?
The Sky Blues are in Champions League action on Wednesday when Sporting Lisbon are the visitors to the Etihad. With a 5-0 lead from the first leg Pep Guardiola will be able to make wholesale changes if he so wishes, with a league trip to Crystal Palace on the horizon, where City will meet a former player in the Eagles’ head coach Patrick Vieira.
Next week Manchester United have a key top four battle when they host Antonio Conte’s Spurs. The North London side have been out of sorts recently but are still in touch and Conte is a proven winner. Then it’s Champions League action at Old Trafford when Diego Simeone’s Atletico Madrid visit Manchester for a Round of 16 second leg tie. A 1-1 draw in Madrid has given the Red Devils a good chance to progress, which they deserve because of the brave rearguard action they put up against Los Rojiblancos. Here at SBOTOP we’ll be all over the European competitions so keep looking in for the tips, team news and a great selection of Asian Handicap Betting offers.
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