Manchester United came from a goal down to snatch all three points in a controversial Manchester Derby, with Marcus Rashford grabbing a winner 10 minutes from time in front of a raucous Old Trafford.
The clash, which more closely resembled a chess match than a game of football for the first half, was far closer than the 6-3 had been at the Etihad earlier in the season, with the first half seeing the home side generate the better chances as Rashford posed a major threat, twice going close.
The second half was a different story; Manchester City upped the tempo, and took a deserved lead when Jack Grealish headed home from a Kevin De Bruyne cross, before a controversial decision brought the Red Devils level.
Rashford, played through on goal from an offside position, made as if to shoot before leaving the ball, which allowed Bruno Fernandes to curl home from 18 yards. Initially ruled out, it was awarded after discussions with the fourth official, sending Old Trafford into pandemonium.
Bruno Fernandes causes scenes at Old Trafford! 💥
His goal is ruled onside after the linesman initially put his flag up! ✅ pic.twitter.com/AJDIGH2Be5
— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) January 14, 2023
It got better for the home team minutes later. The lively Garnacho, who saw his initial shot blocked, dug out a cross which Rashford steered home to hand United the lead against the run of play.
Despite City’s pressure, the Red Devils held firm to pick up a valuable three points, and move them to within a point of their neighbours.
📰 Table Of Contents
Player ratings
Manchester United
- GK: David De Gea (5) – Didn’t really have a save to make but continued to give the ball away with his kicking. For Ten Hag’s side to take the next step, that will have to change.
- RB: Aaron Wan-Bissaka (7) – Defended really well and his attacking play continues to improve, with some great interplay.
- CB: Raphael Varane (7) – A solid and assured performance from the World Cup winner.
- CB: Luke Shaw (8) – Tasked with keeping Erling Haaland quiet and did it to great effect.
- LB: Tyrell Malacia (6) – Had a tough afternoon but remained persistent.
- CM: Casemiro (6) – Not his best game in a red shirt but brings a confidence and assurance that seems to transmit through his teammates.
- CM: Fred (7) – Looks a player transformed under Erik ten Hag, and was diligent in midfield.
- CM: Christian Eriksen (5) – Good in the first half but really struggled to match the intensity of the second half and was taken off after 70 minutes.
- RW: Bruno Fernandes (7) – Grabbed a controversial goal and played well even as he was moved around the pitch.
- ST: Anthony Martial (4) – Looked well off the pace and was taken off at half time.
- LW: Marcus Rashford (8) – Was Manchester United’s best player on the day and grabbed a deserved goal.
Substitutes
- Antony (6) – Looked bright in stints but went missing for large chunks of the second half.
- Alejandro Garnacho (7) – Looked really bright when coming on and produced an excellent cross for Marcus Rashford’s goal.
- Scott McTominay (N/A)- Came on in stoppage time.
- Lisandro Martinez (N/A)- Came on in stoppage time.
- Harry Maguire (N/A)- Came on in stoppage time.
Manchester City
- GK: Ederson (5) – Had one hot-headed moment in the first half but could do little about either goal.
- RB: Kyle Walker (5) – Struggled against Rashford in the first half and Garnacho when he came on.
- CB: Manuel Akanji (6) – Solid and unlucky to end up on the losing side.
- CB: Nathan Ake (5) – Lacked any real incisive passing into midfield, especially in the first half when Manchester United forced them into wider areas.
- LB: Joao Cancelo (5) – Still looks well off the pace and struggles to replicate his form from last season.
- CM: Rodri (8) – Didn’t put a foot wrong and was excellent on the ball.
- CM: Bernardo Silva (5) – Spent too long between the two centre backs, couldn’t weave his usual passing patterns.
- CM: Kevin de Bruyne (6) – Was forced to roam for the ball when man-marked by Fred, but still came up with an assist in a game which was far from his best.
- RW: Riyad Mahrez (6)- Caused problems for Malacia and Shaw without finding any real end product.
- ST: Erling Haaland (5) – Continued to drop deep and kept running in behind but couldn’t get much service.
- LW: Phil Foden (5) – Very quiet and was hooked just after half time. Couldn’t have any impact against a disciplined United side.
Substitutes
- Jack Grealish (7) – Changed the game when he came on and grabbed the Manchester City goal.
Key stats
500 – This will be Pep Guardiola’s 500th game of his top-flight managerial career. He has won 379 of his 499 games to date (76%), with this the most wins and best win rate (100+ games) of any manager in Europe’s big-five leagues since his first season in 2008-09. Master. pic.twitter.com/IG4gSzyppG
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) January 14, 2023
Expert analysis:
It’s clear pretty early on that the plan is don’t let the centre backs play it to Rodri and force them to go wide https://t.co/wDin84fEXA
— Casey Evans (@Casey_Evans_) January 14, 2023
United have been excellent off the ball so far, blocking passing lanes to force City sideways + the man-marking on Rodri + KDB making it difficult for them to find progression.
Pep will come up with a tweak soon though, need to be ready for it#MUFC #MCFC #MUNMCI #PL
— Harshal Patel (@HarshalPatel93) January 14, 2023
City need to get more out of Walker and Cancelo on the ball. They are the free players with United’s front four defending so narrow.
— Daniel Zeqiri (@ZeqiriDan) January 14, 2023
United’s man-marking job in midfield when City have the ball at the back is making it difficult for #mcfc to play out. Akanji had no options just then and ended up spraying a pass out of play. Haaland often dropping into midfield to give them that spare man and passing option
— Tyrone Marshall (@TyMarshall_MEN) January 14, 2023
Eriksen & Martial both doing a good combined job of shutting down Rodri & Bernardo. KDB is being strictly man-marked by Fred. It’s forced Haaland to drop deep to try and create the type of overload Man City used to get naturally with Jesus/a false 9.
— Premier League Panel (@PremLeaguePanel) January 14, 2023
Rashford obviously did not touch the ball, so then it comes down to if he is interfering with play and whether any City defenders were actually impeded.
— Simon Stone (@sistoney67) January 14, 2023
The first United goal just proved the people who make the rules don’t understand the game.
— Petr Cech (@PetrCech) January 14, 2023
Stuart Attwell making a habit of making a decision, and then changing his mind when he hears the crowd reaction
— Simon Bajkowski (@spbajko) January 14, 2023
Fan Reaction:
Manchester United fans’ chant for Erling Haaland 😳 pic.twitter.com/CzEtTC1HeB
— GOAL (@goal) January 14, 2023
Wake my up when this Manchester Derby really begins..😴😴 pic.twitter.com/vnXoNakFYK
— Dushyant Gupta (@dushyantAFC) January 14, 2023
Casemiro hall of shame performance
— Paddy (@PaddyArsenal) January 14, 2023
Bruno Fernandes appears to have borrowed Casemiro’s “Avoid a Yellow Card” trait.
— Carl Anka (@Ankaman616) January 14, 2023
That’s offside everywhere else than old trafford.
— Stian (@SBeurling) January 14, 2023
