Manchester United: Four Key Matches That Defined Their Season
3. December 7, 2019, United wins the first Manchester Derby
After the loss to Crystal Palace, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s seat started to get radioactive hot. United went on to win just one out of their next eight Premier League matches.
A draw against Liverpool seemed to give the Red Devils some momentum. They decisively took down Norwich City in their next match in a run that saw them win two, draw two and lose one, coming into the first Manchester derby of the season at the Etihad.
Going into the derby (despite having their worse start in their history in the Premier League) Manchester United was fifth in the table standings. They were only five points behind Chelsea for the fourth Champions League spot.
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Missing from the line-up was Pogba, who was dealing with a myriad of injuries and would only play a total of 521 minutes for the season. United was missing arguably their only world-class midfielder and creative offensive instigator.
United’s Winning Formula
United’s strategy for the derby was markedly different from the one employed against Crystal Palace. They allowed Manchester City to play their ultra possession passing game and prepared to hit them on counter-attacks when the opportunities presented themselves. This was their preferred strategy against “stronger” clubs.
City had 72% of the possession and completed 589 passes. United attempted 268 passes. However, it was MUFC who had seven shots on target to Manchester City’s five.
Rashford converted his penalty in the 22nd minute, followed by Anthony Martial scoring six minutes later to give the Red Devils a 2-0 lead. The defending champions pressed relentlessly in a vain attempt to get back in the match.
They allowed the Red Devils an average of 3.74 passes in their defensive zone before a defensive action (PPDA). United’s defense allowed only five City shots that were above an xG of 0.10. Nicolas Otamendi was able to get a late goal to put them back in it, but United’s defense held on for the 2-1 victory.
The match confirmed a winning strategy for Man United, whose offensive lacked creativity when in possession. However, in transition on a counter-attack, they were potentially lethal using their pace. The January transfer window would provide the Red Devils a desperately needed piece to their incomplete puzzle.