MANCHESTER, England – Manchester City was booed by its own fans and manager Pep Guardiola was jeered by Manchester United fans, chanting “You’re sacked tomorrow morning.” Amad DialloUnited’s late winner sealed a 2-1 derby victory for United.
Man City have now lost eight of their last 11 games in all competitions – their worst run since 2003 – and are seeing their title hopes fade with each defeat. This run marked more defeats than City suffered in their previous 106 games combined, according to ESPN Research.
If Guardiol‘s first-half lead looked set to send City to victory, with United missing numerous chances to equalize in the second half. But one Matheus Nunes A foul on Amad in the 86th minute led to a penalty from which Bruno Fernandes equalized before Amad scored the winner two minutes later.
Man City defeat deepens crisis for Guardiola
Manchester City are now beyond crisis after suffering an eighth defeat in 11 games at the Etihad on Sunday, days after slumping to a seventh defeat in 10 games in their 2-0 defeat to Juventus midway through Champions League week.
City went into the clash against United desperate for a win to get their season back on track and Gvardiol’s first-half goal gave hope they would end their losing streak horror. But City were mediocre – there was none of the attacking verve and quality of Guardiola’s side which won four consecutive Premier League titles last season, and they allowed United back into the game for achieve an incredible victory.
The city’s problems are clear. They have no rhythm in key areas of the team, and key men on their big teams are disappearing quickly. Kyle Walker, Kevin De Bruyne, Ilkay Gundogan And Bernardo Silva They simply cannot cope with the intensity of matches at the highest level, and City have lost the fear factor that has allowed them to win so many honours.
So, what next? Guardiola says he is going nowhere, having signed a new two-year contract only last month. But how long can this last before Guardiola’s position is under threat? -Mark Ogden
Man United’s progress continues with another comeback
Man United manager Ruben Amorim praised the fight and spirit of his players after they came from behind to beat FC Viktoria Plzen in the Europa League on Thursday, and the same characteristics were on display against City.
It was by no means a perfect performance. But just like in the Czech Republic, United found a way to win.
For much of the 90 minutes, United were facing a third consecutive Premier League defeat for the first time since 2015. Amorim was also on the verge of losing a third consecutive top-flight match for the first time in his career. coach. That was until Fernandes scored a late penalty and Amad scored a spectacular late winner.
Amorim is not one to get carried away by a single outcome. He was very measured in his assessment after the 4-0 win over Everton and he is far too balanced to believe all his problems can be solved by a victory at the Etihad Stadium. But at the very least it gives United a foundation to build on.
United have a tough run of fixtures coming up over Christmas and New Year, with matches against Tottenham, Newcastle, Liverpool and Arsenal. There is a long way to go in his rebuild at Old Trafford, but winning at City is a big statement. –Rob Dawson
Haaland’s goal drought makes things worse
Manchester City have growing problems, but few are as big as the striker Erling HaalandLoss of form in front of goal. The Norway international was anonymous against United and was ruled out of the match by Harry Maguirewho stood out for the Amorim team.
Haaland has only scored six league goals since the end of August – and that run is even worse when you consider it’s just three goals in his last 11 league matches.
When he doesn’t score, Haaland offers little for City, and opponents have realized they can blunt Guardiola’s side and nullify Haaland.
This is now the biggest test of Haaland’s career. He needs to show that he has more to his game than just scoring goals when the team is flying. –Ogden
Amorim’s big calls pay off for United
Amorim made two huge calls moving forward Marcus Rashford And Alexandre Garnacho of his team of the day, and his gamble was largely rewarded since Diallo made a winning contribution in their absence.
Any time a manager drops an important player – in this case, two – he really needs the team to win to validate the decision and make it clear to those who were left out that they are not essential. And although United needed two late goals to win the derby, it was Amad who made all the difference, winning a penalty from which Fernandes scored, then scoring a superb winner two minutes later .
Admitting before the match that Rashford and Garnacho had trained well on Sunday morning and that his decision was based on much more than what was happening on the pitch, Amorim made it clear that Rashford and Garnacho were not simply ruled out due to their recent performances.
Although neither player has reached their level in recent weeks, they have still scored 15 goals between them in all competitions this season, with Garnacho being the team’s top scorer with eight. Amorim left a big hole in his team by choosing to leave out Rashford and Garnacho as none of his other strikers had produced the same number of goals.
Having only arrived from Sporting CP last month, Amorim is making his debut at United and he must quickly assert himself within the club. But with Amad having made such a big contribution, Amorim was the clear winner after his selection gamble.
According to ESPN Research, Amorim is the first Man United manager to win his first Manchester derby since Alex Ferguson in 1987. –Ogden
Mount injury a setback for Man United
Mason mount looked devastated when he was forced off after just 14 minutes, and you can understand why: injuries have been a problem throughout his time at United. Nearly 18 months since his departure from Chelsea, he has only managed to play 90 minutes in a match once – in the 3-0 Carabao Cup defeat to Newcastle in November 2023.
Amorim has spoken of his admiration for Mount, but that doesn’t matter if you’re never available. Amorim needs players they can count on week after week. Go up — and Luke Shaw Besides – I have always had difficulty achieving this. Mount will be even more disappointed to have encountered another problem given how sharp he looked in the win over FC Viktoria Plzen on Thursday.
Amorim’s second-half substitutions – notably Mount and Rasmus Hojlund – helped change the game, and a night that looked like it was shaping up to be a Europa League embarrassment ended up being a hard-fought victory.
As Mount walked away to the Etihad, he was consoled by Fernandes and Lisandro Martinez. Even Phil Foden came to make sure he was okay. Mount can only hope he will not be prepared to sit on the sidelines for long at a time when places are up for grabs at Amorim’s new-look United. -Dawson
A roller coaster game for Gvardiol
If he hasn’t already, Gvardiol will now know just how fine the margins can be in the Premier League.
For most of the derby it looked like he would be the hero after putting City ahead with a first-half header. Then, in stoppage time, he lost Amad’s run and missed the chance to clear his scuffed shot off the line and a game that City looked like they had won ended in painful defeat.
It was a roller coaster afternoon for Gvardiol, at a time when he has already received his fair share of criticism. The 22-year-old was blamed for goals conceded against Tottenham and Feyenoord. Guardiola offered his public support after Gvardiol played a central role in the late collapse against Feyenoord, but nevertheless deemed it necessary to drop him for the 2-0 defeat to Liverpool at Anfield.
With Nathan Aké, Manuel Akanji And John Stones all dealing with injuries and Rico Lewis Suspended, Gvardiol was one of three defenders fully fit for the match against United. Moved to centre-back from his usual left-back position, he scored City’s first goal with a guided header from a De Bruyne cross.
Makeshift left-back Nunes was responsible for United’s equalizer, but it’s Gvardiol who won’t want to see a replay of Amad’s winner. It has been a difficult period for Gvardiol, perhaps the first real spell of scrutiny since his big-money move from RB Leipzig in 2023 and the spotlight is once again on him. -Dawson
