Manchester United 1-3 Manchester City: 3 Reasons Why Red Devils were hammered at home in the derby | Carabao Cup 2019-20

2. Injury-raved hosts pay price for depleted squad

Manchester United v Manchester City - Carabao Cup: Semi-Final

Marcus Rashford was handed the captain's armband on what was his 199th appearance for Manchester United and although the 21-year-old marked the occasion with a second-half strike, the hosts' deficiencies were made more apparent than ever, as injuries to key players came back to haunt them in the League Cup semi-final.

Harry Maguire joined the club's growing injury list, as the Englishman became the latest casualty to a list that already comprises of Paul Pogba and Scott McTominay, with Anthony Martial also struggling with a niggle in recent weeks. The gulf of class between the two sides was brought to the forefront and with United missing key players across the pitch, Guardiola's side exploited their frailties to put one foot on yet another League Cup final.

While the likes of Jesse Lingard and Andreas Pereira struggled in the centre of the park, Fred continued his recent renaissance with another commendable performance and the Brazilian is one of the few players who did his reputation no harm on the night. The 26-year-old was joint top on the night for final third passes (20), interceptions (4) and tackles won (3), he stood his own despite the result and tried to make things happen for his side, while most of his teammates fell flat after three unanswered goals in the first half.

The absence of the ever-improving McTominay and the industrious Pogba were felt dearly, as was the presence of Maguire at the back, with Phil Jones struggling to get to grips with the game.

It is no secret that Manchester United do not have the personnel to compete in the top end of the Premier League table but in the wake of recent injuries, the Red Devils are also seriously short on numbers. Reinforcements in the January transfer window should be of paramount importance to Solskjaer's side if they are to finish the season strongly and it remains to be seen if the record English champions splash the cash in the upcoming weeks.