Manchester, England — Manchester City He was booed by his own supporters and manager Pep Guardiola was taunted with chants of “you’ve been sacked in the morning”. Manchester United After the fan Imad DialloA 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 their title hopes look set to fade with each defeat. According to ESPN Research, that run marks City’s most losses in their previous 106 matches combined.
Josco GuardiolaA first-half header looked set to send City to victory and United wasted several chances to equalize in the second half. But oh Mathis Nunes A foul on Emad in the 86th minute led to a penalty that Bruno Fernandes equalized before Emad scored the winner two minutes later.
The Man City defeat deepened the crisis for Guardiola.
Manchester City are now out of trouble after suffering an eighth defeat in 11 games at the Etihad on Sunday, following a seventh defeat in 10 games with a 2-0 defeat. Juventus Champions League midweek.
City went into the clash against United desperate for a win to get their season back on track and Guardiol’s first-half goal gave hope they could end their dreadful run. But City were poor — none of the attacking flair and quality of Guardiola’s team that made it four. Premier League Back-to-back titles last season, and they let United back into the game to grab an incredible win.
The city’s problems are obvious. They have no pace in key areas of the team, and their key men from great teams are quickly disappearing. Kyle Walker, Kevin De Bruyne, Ilkay Gundogan And Bernardo Silva Just can’t match the intensity of the games at the top level, and City have lost the awe factor that allowed them to win so many honours.
So, what next? Guardiola has said he is not going anywhere, having only signed a new two-year contract 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 qualities were on display against City.
It was by no means a perfect performance. But as they did in Czechia, United found a way to win.
For most of the 90 minutes, United were looking at their third consecutive Premier League defeat for the first time since 2015. Amorim was on the brink of losing a third consecutive top-flight game for the first time in his managerial career. That was until Fernandes converted a late penalty and Emad scored a dramatic late winner.
Amorim is not the type to get carried away by a conclusion. He was very measured in his assessment after the 4-0 win. Everton And he is too balanced to believe that a win at the Etihad Stadium can solve all his problems. But if nothing else, it gives United a foundation on which to build.
Tottenham, Newcastle, over Christmas and New Year for United Liverpool And weapon. His Old Trafford rebuild has a long way to go, but a win at City is a big statement. — Rob Dawson
A drought in Holland’s goals makes matters worse.
Manchester City have growing problems, but few are as big as the striker. Erling HollandLoss of form in front of goal. The Norway international was anonymous against United and was sent off. Harry Maguirewhich was brilliant from Amorim.
Holland has scored just six league goals since the end of August — and that run is even worse when you consider that he has just three goals in his last 11 league games.
When he doesn’t score, Holland offers City little, and opponents have worked out that they can nullify Holland from Guardiola’s side.
This is now the biggest test of Holland’s career. He has to show that he has more game than just scoring goals when the team is flying. — Ogden
Amorim’s big calls pay off for United.
Amorum went ahead and made two big calls. Marcus Rashford And Alejandro Garnacho from his matchday squad, and his gambling played a vital role in winning the match in Diallo’s absence.
Whenever a manager drops a big player — in this case, two — he really needs the team to win to validate the decision and point to those who have been dropped. That they are not inevitable. And although United needed two late goals to win the derby, it was Emad who made all the difference, winning the penalty that Fernandes scored, and then scoring a stunning winner two minutes later.
Admitting before the match that both Rashford and Garnacho had trained well on Sunday morning and that his decision was based on more than what happened on the pitch, Amorim made it clear that Rashford and Garnacho were the reason for their recent performances. was not left out.
While neither player has performed anywhere near their level in recent weeks, they have scored 15 goals between them in all competitions this season, with Garnacho leading the team with eight. There are more scorers. Amorim was leaving a big hole in his team by opting to leave out both Rashford and Garnacho as none of his other forwards had scored as many goals.
Just reach from Sporting CP Last month, Amorim is in his early days at United and needs to establish himself at the club as soon as possible. But with such a big contribution from Imad, Amorim was the clear winner after his electoral gamble.
According to ESPN Research, Amorim is the first Man United manager to win his first Manchester derby since Alex Ferguson in 1987. — Ogden
A blow to Mount Injury Man United
Mason Mt He looked devastated when he was forced off after just 14 minutes, and you can understand why – injuries have been a problem during his time at United. About 18 months after his move Chelseahe has only managed to complete 90 minutes in a game once — 3-0 Carabao Cup Defeated by Newcastle in November 2023.
Amorim talks about his admiration for the mount, but it doesn’t matter if you’re never available. Amorim needs players he can rely on week in and week out. Mountains — and Luke Shaw For that matter — have fought for it continuously. Given how sharp he looked during Thursday’s win over FC Viktoria Plzen, Mount will be even more disappointed to pick up another problem.
Amorim’s second-half substitutions — including Mount and Rasmus Hjoglund — helped turn the game around, and a night that looked like it was turning into Europa League embarrassment, into a hard-fought victory. ended as
As Mount walks into unity, he is comforted by Fernandes. Lisandro Martinez. Even Phil Foden It came to make sure he was okay. Mount can only hope he is not in for another lengthy spell on the sidelines at a time when Amorim’s new-look United have places to catch up. –Dawson
A roller coaster game for Guardiol
If he hasn’t already, Guardiol will now know just how fine a margin can be in the Premier League.
For much 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 missed Emad’s run and missed the chance to clear his rasping shot off the line and a game which City looked won ended in a painful defeat.
It was a rollercoaster afternoon for Guardiol, coming into an era where he has already faced his fair share of criticism. The 22-year-old was charged with goals against Tottenham and Feyenoord. Guardiola offered his public support when Guardiola played a central role in a late collapse against Feyenoord, but still deemed it necessary to drop him for the 2-0 defeat. Liverpool At Anfield
with the Nathan Ake, Manuel Akanji And John Stones Struggle with all the wounded and Rico Lewis Suspended, Guardiol was one of three fully fit defenders for the game against United. Moved from his usual left-back position to centre-back, he scored City’s opening goal with a guided header from De Bruyne’s cross.
Makeshift left-back Nunes was credited with United’s equaliser, but it is Guardiola who will not want to see a replay of Emad’s winner. It has been a difficult period for Guardiol, perhaps the first real period of testing since his big-money transfer. RB Leipzig In 2023 and the spotlight is once again on him. –Dawson