Here are a few takeaways as Man United suffered a 1-3 defeat to Man City at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday. Erik ten Hag’s team took the lead in the first half through a brilliant Marcus Rashford strike, but the Cityzens scored thrice in the second half through Phil Foden, who scored a brace, and Erling Haaland.
Manchester City thus completed a double over their city rivals yet another time. They had beaten United 3-0 at Old Trafford in their previous encounter last October. It was the Red Devils’ second consecutive defeat in the Premier League and they remain in the sixth position with 44 points from 27 matches.
On the other hand, Pep Guardiola’s side remain in the second position with 62 points from 27 matches, just one point behind Premier League leaders Liverpool. Here are the key takeaways from the Man City vs. Man United game:
1. Phil Foden Came Up With A Master-class Act
Phil Foden was absolutely outstanding in the Manchester derby, not the least because he managed to score a brace. The Cityzens attacked a lot through the right flank in the first half thanks to him. He relentlessly put pressure on Victor Lindelof through the right side. Jeremy Doku’s inability to go past Diogo Dalot on the opposite flank eased the pressure somewhat on the United backline.
The English attacker scored with a brilliant left-footer from 25 yards out in the second half to equalize. He then played a delectable one-two with Julian Alvarez to get into the space between the defenders in the United box to score City’s second goal. The 23-year-old English winger has now scored 18 goals this season (stats via Transfermarkt) and looks good for a few more at least.
2. Manchester City’s Tactical Tweaks Took Care Of United’s Ultra-defensive Strategy:
As expected, Man United defended dourly with all their four defenders staying very deep for the majority of the match against Man CIty. It worked in the first half, with Rashford’s goal coming from a long pass from Andre Onana putting them ahead.
However, a few tactical tweaks from City boss Pep Guardiola helped the defending champions put more pressure on the away side’s defense. First, he put Julian Alvarez in for a slightly off-color Doku and the former’s assertive presence made things difficult for the United defenders. Alvarez went on to register an assist in the match.
Secondly, Kevin De Bruyne started switching to the left flank more frequently to increase the flow of attacks through the left. Those tweaks in the second half won the match for the Cityzens. Manchester City deserved to win a match that saw them have 73% ball-possession and 27 shots against the Red Devils’ three.
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3. Manchester United Have a Few Easy Games Ahead of Them:
Manchester United will be facing easier oppositions in their next three matches in the Premier League, which will give them a chance to pick up some wins and get back on the right track. They will play Everton, Sheffield United and Brentford in their next three league matches before squaring off against Chelsea in April.
While Chelsea are enduring a tough season themselves, they still are a big team with quality players and might give United some trouble. The Red Devils cannot afford to have too many further slip-ups if they are to finish inside the top six by the end of the season. It remains to be seen whether they are able to do that.
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