Pep Guardiola’s side prevails and defeats Manchester United by a score of 2-1 on the 175th derby. A game that made City the first team to win 14 consecutive Premier League games in one season.
Mourinho sticking with his same tactics as last week when De Gea showed the world why he should be crowned the world’s best. On the other hand, Pep surprised us with a false 9 role with Raheem Sterling playing through the middle. I didn’t think this would work due to the kind of player Sterling is. We see him on the flanks for most of the time and doesn’t have the false 9 attributes and characteristics. But, I was impressed to see how Pep worked around Sterling and using David Silva and De Bruyne as the pivot points in mid-field.
One thing that I noticed was how each attack was started and fuelled by Silva or De Bruyne. It goes to show how important they are to this side and how it allows Pep to build and work around these players. Not only does this allow links to the attack but also provides outlets for the back-line when under pressure.
The first goal that City scored reminded me of City’s goal last week. David Silva is the one that was left out both times. Lingard failed to mark Silva on City’s corner in the 43′. Last week, Silva, again, was left unmarked and managed to poach a goal to bring City to another victory.
The major reason why United was able to threat the City goal was because of Fabian Delph’s mistakes. His misjudgement of the ball gave Rashford a glorious chance to level the two sides (which he scored).
Manchester United did put up a great fight and just about equalized when the ball bounced for Lukaku but was stopped by Ederson. Then Mata found the same fate as Ederson shuts the door again. Two glorious chances that ended up cleared away by Mangala.
The heart of the Red Devils laid in Martial who looked as if the ball was glued to his feet. He impressed me with his outstanding control and ability to keep possession. If it wasn’t for the great defending of Mangala and Otamendi (who also found the back of the net) then it would have been a different game. Mourinho’s mid-field lacked depth and the triangular shape that it normally does with Paul Pogba being the centre of it. This was noticeable when United struggled to link plays and keep possession.
Next: Premier League: Rating every team out of 10 for their start to the season
In the end, there was no stopping the force of Sterling, Jesus, and Sane who really make their presence felt on the pitch. Well played from Jose Mourinho’s side as they put together a great game and really made it hard for Pep’s side.