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Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has lauded the Manchester United duo of Lisandro Martinez and Rasmus Hojlund, who missed the Manchester derby on Sunday (March 3) due to injuries. The Red Devils suffered a 3-1 defeat at the hands of their arch-rivals despite taking an early lead.
Marcus Rashford scored a screamer in the eighth minute to give Manchester United a 1-0 lead at the Etihad. However, Manchester City dominated the second half as Phil Foden scored twice (56', 80') before Erling Haaland put the game to bed in the 91st minute.
Following the game, Cityzens boss Pep Guardiola lavished praise on Manchester United's Lisandro Martinez and Rasmus Hojlund. He insisted that it is difficult for a club to do well on the pitch without two of their best players. The Manchester City manager said:
“A striker in the best moment and scoring goals, today he’s injured. A central defender, an Argentina guy, Lisandro is a top-class player and the same, he’s injured, so when this happens, it’s not easy."
Following their defeat against local rivals Manchester City, Manchester United find themselves sixth in the table. They have an uphill task to qualify for Champions League football next season as they trail fourth-placed Aston Villa by 11 points.
Erik ten Hag did well in his first season at Old Trafford but things have gone downhill for the Dutchman this campaign. Injuries have played a big role in their struggles.
Lisandro Martinez, who was pivotal for the Red Devils last season, has played just 740 minutes of football this season having suffered two different injuries this campaign. The Argentina international missed 22 games with a foot injury earlier in the season and is now out with a knee injury suffered on February 4.
Meanwhile, £72 million summer signing Rasmus Højlund has also missed the last two games after enjoying a fine goalscoring run. The Danish striker has 13 goals and two assists to his name in 30 appearances across competitions this season but has already missed 11 games because of injury problems.
Pundits slam Manchester United for their poor showing against rivals Manchester City
Pundit Richard Keys, along with his co-panellists at beIN Sports, has slammed Manchester United following their 3-1 defeat to Manchester City in the Premier League on Sunday. Marcus Rashford scored a wonderful goal to give his side an early lead. But Phil Foden scored twice and Erling Haaland scored another to secure all three points for Pep Guardiola's side.
Keys hit out at United for their lack of attacking intent, saying:
"It's Manchester United, not Sheffield United. The one thing you would say to Ten Hag is that he did say before the match that in moments, moments they had one (shot). For a long time, they were able to sit back and defend. Had it been goalless, they would've played the same way, I suspect."
The Red Devils only had 27 percent possession against Manchester City and only attempted three shots compared to their rivals' 27.
