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Manchester United faced their neighbours Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium for the biggest game of match week 16 in the Premier League. Both teams were approaching this fixture high on confidence as Manchester United defeated Tottenham Hotspur midweek, while Manchester City thrashed Burnley.
United absolutely startled Manchester City with their first-half display as they scored 2 goals, thanks to a Marcus Rashford penalty and an Anthony Martial weak foot finish. To be honest, Manchester United could have easily had more, if not for Ederson, who made some great saves.
In the second period, Manchester City improved, created chances and pulled a goal back, thanks to a lovely header from Argentine substitute Nicolas Otamendi. But it was too little too late as Ole Gunnar Solskjær's team defeated the defending champions 1-2. Here, we are going to take a look at the three key observations from the Red Devils' victory:
#3 Manchester City - All Style, No Substance
In a game, where Manchester United were always going to sit deep, Manchester City looked devoid of ideas while going forward. The ball just kept on going sideways and there was no real end product to any City attack.
Combine that with their ever so shaky defense and you've got yourselves a weakness in the defending champions' armour. The stats from Saturday tell the whole story - City had more than 70% possession of the ball, had 22 shots but only 5 of them were on target and only 2 of them managed to trouble David de Gea.
In the first half especially, City managed to create only one big opportunity, while the away side were opening them up with every attack. Pep Guardiola's team has struggled with counter-attacking play and it is something he needs to sort out and quickly!
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#2 Devasting going forward and solid at the back
When the above statement can be said about a particular team's performance, it means they thoroughly deserved to win. Every single Manchester United player gave it their all on the pitch on Saturday and that made the difference. Manchester United just wanted it more. The likes of Marcus Rashford, Anthony Martial, Daniel James, and Jesse Lingard gave the Manchester City defenders nightmares on the break. Rashford could have easily had a hat-trick in the first half, if not for some sloppy finishing and the goal post. Daniel James ran his socks off and looked absolutely shredded after the game ended, as it should be. Victor Lindelöf and Harry Maguire gave their standout performances in a Manchester United shirt this season, while Luke Shaw was calm and composed on that left-hand side.
Martial got himself a proper center forward goal as he shrugged off a couple of defenders before shooting with his weak left foot and beating Ederson at the near post. As for Manchester United's defense, they kept quiet arguably one of the best-attacking teams in the whole world. Player of the match, Aaron Wan-Bissaka was an absolute beast as nothing went past him, and Raheem Sterling was anonymous throughout the game.
#1 Ole Gunnar Solskjaer got his tactics spot on
If Solskjær is fairly criticised for getting his tactics wrong on some occasions, it's only fair to praise him when he gets it right. In the space of a week, the Norwegian manager has outmanoeuvred two of the best coaches of this generation - Pep Guardiola and José Mourinho.
That should be given some credit. Against City, it wasn't all about soaking up the pressure and getting lucky on the break. Manchester United had a clear plan and they were actually playing out from the back during the entirety of that game.
It was based on quick transitions and turnovers, instead of parking the bus. The first half saw breathtaking football from United, that some have even labelled as the best first-half since Sir Alex Ferguson retired. But this United team hasn't been consistent this season and with Everton coming next, it will be interesting to see how these players get themselves down from cloud nine.
