Manchester City 4-1 Manchester United: Five talking points

David Moyes’s first taste of a Manchester derby ended in a defeat as Manchester City thumped Manchester United 4-1 thanks to a brace from Sergio Aguero and a goal each from Samir Nasri and Yaya Toure.

Let us look at the major talking points from the game:

Sergio Aguero celebrates after he scores during the Barclays Premier League match between Manchester City and Manchester United at the Etihad Stadium on September 22, 2013 in Manchester, England. (Getty Images)

Sergio Aguero comes out on top in the battle of the finest marksmen

Coming into the game, the talk was all about two of the Premier League’s most potent strike partnerships going head-to-head. But unfortunately Robin Van Persie’s injury meant that United started with Danny Welbeck in his place along with Wayne Rooney.

Alvaro Negredo and Sergio Aguero started up front for City. Both of City’s forwards had a field day against United, especially the Argentinean, who put on a show in front of a packed Etihad crowd. The intensity of the City attack was evident from kickoff with Negredo’s work rate setting off a chain reaction with the rest of the team.

Aguero proved once again just how important he is to this City outfit, with two well taken goals in either half. Although City have signed some top quality strikers in the summer, Aguero still remains first choice amongst the strikers on show.

Robin van Persie looks on from the stands prior to during the Barclays Premier League match between Manchester City and Manchester United at the Etihad Stadium on September 22, 2013 in Manchester, England. (Getty Images)

United missed Kagawa and Van Persie, as they lacked any real penetration

Although United started the game with two wingers and two strikers, they couldn’t penetrate the City defence and more often than not, ended up passing sideways and back rather than forward.

Even with Michael Carrick and Marouane Fellaini in the middle, they were barely able to carve out any clear cut openings for their front line to pounce on. Their full-backs, who are generally a source of attacking threat, barely crossed the halfway mark in the opening half hour, when United were penned in by City.

Although they came back into the game as it wore on, they conceded goals at crucial times and didn’t manage to bother Joe Hart too much. They missed the guile and nimbleness that came with Shinji Kagawa’s play. This defeat might well force Moyes’s hand and ensure that the Japanese playmaker is central to his future plans.

L-R) Wayne Rooney, Michael Carrick and Danny Welbeck look dejected during the Barclays Premier League match between Manchester City and Manchester United at the Etihad Stadium on September 22, 2013 in Manchester, England. (Getty Images)

Rooney was fighting a lone battle

There were times during the game, when it felt like Rooney was the only player wearing the red shirt, trying to make a fist of it. Once they went 2-0 just on the stroke of half-time, their spirits went down and conceding two quick goals from the restart meant that they lost all hope of a comeback.

It says a lot about United that Rooney, a man who looked like he was leaving for London in the summer, was their best player on a day when apart from scoring with a wonderful free-kick, he also missed a few golden opportunities to score.

Their reliance on Rooney must certainly look like a worrying aspect for Moyes as he tries to build his own team.

Samir Nasri celebrates as he scores his team’s fourth goal during the Barclays Premier League match between Manchester City and Manchester United at the Etihad Stadium on September 22, 2013 in Manchester, England. (Getty Images)

Nasri shows United just what he is all about

Playing in, for the injured David Silva, Nasri showed just why City spent a ton of money to bring to the Etihad. And whilst the Frenchman can be erratic at the best of times, when he is on song, there are few better footballers that can come close to matching him for skill and close control.

On Sunday, he more than made up for last year’s mistake which led to van Persie’s injury-time winner. Nasri’s combination play with Alexander Kolarov down the left was a major source of City’s attack and his one touch passes found the target almost every single time.

On the back of this performance, Manuel Pellegrini will find it difficult to displace him from the squad and that is one headache that the Chilean would have loved, at the start of the season.

David Moyes (L) and Manuel Pellegrini look on during the Barclays Premier League match between Manchester City and Manchester United at the Etihad Stadium on September 22, 2013 in Manchester, England. (Getty Images)

Moyes’s bad form against cross-town rivals continues

Even before the game began, Moyes was fully aware of the consequences that defeat in this fixture meant. He came into the game, without a win from his other two high profile encounters against Chelsea and Liverpool and was barely in need of a win against a top side.

And City looked like the perfect opposition to right the wrongs as he looked to continue his good form against the citizens from his Everton days.

Unfortunately for Moyes, things didn’t go according to plan and just like his predecessor, he witnessed a humiliating defeat by the city rivals, early in his reign as United boss. Defeat left United reeling and facing a daunting task ahead as Moyes looks to get his team back on track before it is too late.