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Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s reign as the Manchester United boss had got off to a horrible start as a 0-3 defeat at the Camp Nou was followed by a 0-4 humiliation against Everton away from home. Paul Pogba termed the beating that United got at the hands of Everton as ‘disrespectful’ and he was hoping to put up a stellar performance in front of the home fans.
For Manchester City, this was the right time to visit Old Trafford as their rivals were completely down on confidence. They were in red hot form in the Premier League with 10 consecutive victories and were hoping to extend that winning streak. But in the Premier League, Manchester United had only lost once at home this season and this contest was touted to be the ‘title decider’ of this season.
Pep Guardiola made two changes to the side that won against Tottenham Hotspur. Vincent Kompany came in for John Stones and the veteran Fernandinho returned to the starting lineup. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer took a conservative approach and decided to go with five defenders.
Martial and Lukaku were benched with Lingard and Andreas Pereira getting an opportunity to showcase their talent. Matteo Darmian was the surprise inclusion as he started in a Premier League game for the first time since December 2018.
For the first 20 minutes, Manchester United dominated the proceedings with a 40-yard dipping shot from Rashford just going over the crossbar. They also defended well as a team and did not allow any goals in the first half.
In the second half, goals from Bernardo Silva and Leroy Sane put Manchester City on top and they comfortably won the match with a 2-0 scoreline. This victory puts them back on top in the Premier League points table with 89 points. Here are three reasons why Manchester City beat Manchester United.
#1 Manchester City’s ability to adapt
Manchester United surprised everyone in the first half as they pressed with energy and forced errors and fouls from the Manchester City midfielders. Manchester City did not possess the ball for longer periods of time and struggled to break through the compact defence of Manchester United.
In the second half, Manchester City were more patient and decided to check the Manchester United defence with accurate vertical passes and pacy counter attacks. This strategy worked well as Bernardo Silva broke the deadlock in the 54th minute and opened the scoring with a low drive into the corner.
In the 66th minute, Sterling made a lightning run with the ball after a clearance from set-piece play and played out a pass to Leroy Sane. Sane produced a powerful shot with his left foot which brushed past David de Gea. Pep Guardiola will be pleased with this performance as they are now the hot favourites to win the Premier League.
#2 Pep Guardiola’s big gamble in the second half
Fernandinho is the lynchpin of this Manchester City team and whenever he is on the pitch, Manchester City look in control of the game’s proceedings. However, he was forced to walk off the field with a injury after an aggressive tackle on Paul Pogba.
Instead of replacing him with another midfielder, Pep Guardiola made a bold move and introduced Leroy Sane with Gundogan moving to the holding midfield position. His gamble paid off as Manchester City looked more threatening during attacking plays with Gundogan’s clinical ball distribution from the middle of the pitch.
Leroy Sane’s inclusion infused more energy and pace into the Manchester City team and he extended the lead with a left footed shot that crashed into the back of the net. This was another proof of Guardiola’s unorthodox thinking and his bold decision making changing the course of a match.
#3. Another forgettable outing for David de Gea
By his standards, David de Gea’s goal keeping record this season has been below par and the past few weeks have been very tough for him. After a howler in Camp Nou, he conceded four goals against Everton, and his performance this match was once again disappointing.
In the first half, he made some decent saves as he first stopped Bernardo Silva’s long range effort and followed it up by stooping low to deny Raheem Sterling from close range. But his positioning during Bernardo Silva’s opener was questionable as he could not prevent a weak low shot from going past the goal line.
The second goal he conceded was even worse as Leroy Sane’s effort from the left flank went straight through him and Manchester City took a two goal lead in the match. Solskjaer will be hoping for a much better performance from de Gea in the upcoming games as United look a different side whenever de Gea is at his best.
