3 reasons why Manchester City beat Manchester United

On this form, it's hard to see anyone stopping Manchester City
On this form, it's hard to see anyone stopping Manchester City

The first Manchester derby of 2018/19 is in the books, and to nobody’s great surprise, Manchester City came away with the spoils. Pep Guardiola’s men convincingly defeated Jose Mourinho’s Red Devils by 3 goals to 1 after a flying start saw them take the lead through a David Silva goal after just 12 minutes.

Sergio Aguero then doubled City’s lead three minutes after the restart, and while a penalty from Anthony Martial gave United a lifeline on 58 minutes following a foul on Romelu Lukaku – who had only been introduced to the game a minute earlier – Ilkay Gundogan put the game beyond Mourinho’s side in the 86th minute.

It was a strong showing for City, who have now leapfrogged Liverpool to sit atop the Premier League table again, and for all intents and purposes, they already look like champions-elect. Here are 3 reasons why Manchester City defeated Manchester United.

#1: City took full advantage of United’s slow starts

David Silva scored after just 12 minutes of today's clash
David Silva scored after just 12 minutes of today's clash

One area that City have become excellent in thus far this season is their ability to score very early goals, hitting their opponents with a sucker punch that quite often, they can’t recover from. United, on the other hand, had gone behind in 6 of their Premier League games this season, although they’d come back to avoid defeat on two of those occasions.

On paper it sounded like a recipe for disaster for Mourinho and within seconds, it looked like that was going to be the case in execution too. By the time David Silva scored on the 12th minute, bundling home from a Bernardo Silva pass, City’s dominance was stunning – they’d completed 104 passes with a success rate of 92%, while United had only completed 11 – and only succeeded in completing 5 of them.

While the game then settled down somewhat as United began to feel their way in, rather than come out stronger for the second half, City again hit them with a heavy sucker punch. After again bossing possession, Sergio Aguero hit a rising finish past David de Gea after a sequence of passes with Riyad Mahrez.

From there – despite Martial’s goal giving the Red Devils some hope – the game was largely over. Pep Guardiola clearly had a gameplan in mind for his team to overwhelm their local rivals at the beginning of both halves, and it worked to perfection.

#2: United’s midfield completely lacked dynamism and creativity

United's midfield - including Marouane Fellaini - struggled in comparison to City's
United's midfield - including Marouane Fellaini - struggled in comparison to City's

Both City and United fielded a 4-3-3 formation for this game, but where City’s midfield – David Silva, Bernardo Silva and Fernandinho – offered the right mix of verve and steel, with the two Silvas attacking while Fernandinho offered strength in the middle, United’s midfield was simply lacking in any dynamism or creativity from the off.

The trio of Ander Herrera, Marouane Fellaini and Nemanja Matic simply lacked any kind of quick thinking going forward, and early on in particular, Herrera was criminally sloppy when it came to giving the ball away cheaply. This meant that David Silva was allowed to run riot – floating from the left and into the middle and back without really being tracked – and United’s defence was left open.

The gaps between United’s midfield and forwards were simply too big for them to ever truly create any chances – something shown in the final stat of just 6 shots on goal all game, compared to City’s 17 attempts.

Mourinho justified his selection by claiming Paul Pogba had “sacrificed himself” against Juventus when he picked up an injury, but how United’s midfield could’ve done with him today. Quite why the Portuguese boss didn’t pick someone like Juan Mata though – who could’ve offered more creativity – is a mystery. After this match surely the realisation that Fellaini is more effective as an impact substitute must sink in.

Regardless, United’s poor midfield performance was certainly key to City’s victory today.

#3: Pep has City drilled to perfection

Ilkay Gundogan finished a move that featured an astonishing 44 passes
Ilkay Gundogan finished a move that featured an astonishing 44 passes

Last season, Guardiola’s City side were frighteningly dominant – breaking the Premier League’s records for most points in a single season, most wins in a single season and most goals in a single season too. And judging by their showing today, it feels like they’re somehow getting even better.

Guardiola famously innovated the ‘tiki-taka’ way of playing during his time as Barcelona manager, but history has now proven that the style – which relies heavily on a team taking the lion’s share of possession and being able to complete countless passes – is only effective if a team has the thrust and verve to make something of all that possession.

Results like England’s 2-3 win over Spain prove that possession isn’t everything, but City simply don’t do “possession for the sake of it”. Every pass that Guardiola’s men complete is seemingly with a purpose – and this was illustrated well today with the way their third goal was scored.

Substitute Ilkay Gundogan slotted home City’s final goal following a move that involved an insane 44 passes and saw the ball moved on by almost every player on the pitch who was wearing a blue shirt. When City are capable of moves like this, what chance did United ever stand?

Guardiola’s side made the most of their possession (65%), the most of their passes (703 completed) and the most of their pass accuracy (91%). In a lot of respects, they never truly allowed United to play their own game. Pep has drilled his side to perfection, and to be honest, on this form it’s hard to see anyone stopping them.

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Edited by Sripad