Manchester City barely seemed to get out of second gear as the champions strolled to a 3-0 win at Old Trafford.
Erling Haaland put City ahead from the penalty spot after referee Paul Tierney consulted the pitchside monitor to watch back Rasmus Hojlund’s pull on Rodri. The Norwegian added a second early in the 49th minute, heading past Andre Onana in plenty of space — which means he has now scored as many Premier League goals (11) as United this season — and then Phil Foden made it 3-0 to complete a straight-forward win for Pep Guardiola’s side.
United were “obliterated” in the second half according to their former full-back Gary Neville, commentating on Sky Sports, as Erik ten Hag’s side succumbed to their fourth home defeat in all competitions in just their ninth game at Old Trafford this season.
Even more damning for United is that the gulf in class between the two sides this afternoon is only reflected in the numbers. According to Opta, since Guardiola joined City in 2016, they have earned 145 more points than United (649 to 504), winning 60 more games in the Premier League (205 to 145) while scoring 229 more goals (681 to 452).
But what went so wrong for United today? And why were City so comfortable?
The Athletic ’s Sam Lee, Carl Anka, Dan Sheldon and Liam Tharme dissect the key talking points from the Manchester derby…
Why was it so easy for City?
Sam Lee: The thing is, BBC Radio Manchester’s United reporter had been speaking to the club’s fans before kick-off and a lot of them said they would be happy with a 2-0 defeat! Before kick-off! United’s line-up left a lot to be desired and City’s was a work of art, certainly in comparison. And had City not been fairly sloppy in the first half, this could have been even more embarrassing.
Manchester United have now lost as many Premier League games at Old Trafford in the 10 years since Sir Alex Ferguson retired as they did during his time in charge:
1992-2013
📆 Played: 405
🔴 Lost: 342013-2023
📆 Played: 196
🔴 Lost: 34[@will_jeanes] pic.twitter.com/1xnfINlcUe
— The Athletic Football (@TheAthleticFC) October 29, 2023
City even had a hand in two United chances by gifting it straight to them, meaning there was always the chance that the home side would score and send the Old Trafford crowd wild. That said, City were still dominant in the first 45, and after the break they matched the standards of some recent victories here, where they have played United off the pitch. They started attacking with more cohesion and as soon as the second goal came they were able to knock the ball around at will and still create chances. In the end, it was another masterpiece and the scoreline could have been even heavier.
Did Ten Hag’s ‘tactics’ pay off?
Liam Tharme: The United manager said pre-match that the inclusion of Jonny Evans at centre-back and right-footed Victor Lindelof at left-back (instead of Raphael Varane and Sergio Reguilon respectively) was a decision based on “tactics”.
United started the game attacking with a diamond, which allowed Scott McTominay to play close to No 9 Rasmus Hojlund, frequently targeted by Andre Onana’s direct passes. It was far from perfect, but United had some success, with Hojlund able to knock passes down into McTominay and they could counter-press on second balls.
Then, at 1-0 down, they tried building short. Harry Maguire moved upfield to pin Jack Grealish and prevent him from pressing, but United’s build-up — with no natural left-footers in the back-line — looked improvised and baseless.
Maguire and Evans struggled to contain Haaland (Photo: Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA/Getty Images)
This is a United team who have scored more home league goals in the final 15 minutes of games (four) than in their first 75 (three) this season. In charge of a United team outperformed by Galatasaray and Copenhagen at home in the Champions League. Ten Hag looks perilously stuck between trying to coach a possession system and balanced attack — and then desperately trying (and failing) to not lose games against ‘Big Six’ teams.
City’s seven big chances are the joint-most United have conceded in a Premier League game since 2018-19 (tied with the 6-1 home defeat to Tottenham Hotspur in 2020), and it is the first time they have conceded 10 shots on target since… the 6-3 defeat to City at the Etihad — another game United got tactically wrong.
Hojlund and Rashford fail to hit the mark… again
Dan Sheldon: With United 2-0 down and needing to find a way back into the match, it took them until the 65th minute to touch the ball inside City’s penalty area.
It is no longer a surprise to see United lack impetus going forward, and the defeat to City is just the latest example — even though they had chances to score.
They finished the game having only seven shots, with three of those hitting the target, compared to City’s 10.
Hojlund’s pace threatened City in the first half but, conceding a penalty aside, the young striker made little impact in the game. His afternoon was ended prematurely by Ten Hag, who took him off in the 73rd minute. Old Trafford then erupted into a chorus of boos, voicing their anger at the Dutchman’s decision.
Marcus Rashford, wearing his new custom Nike boots, did not fare any better. His one standout opportunity came in the second half, but after doing the hard work in controlling the ball and getting the better of Kyle Walker, he dragged his shot wide.
City got their first penalty at Old Trafford in the Premier League era. Was it justified?
Lee: I appreciate that this will look like a blinkered City view on the penalty, but I like to think I am pretty objective with these things. And if that had been given against City, I would say the same thing, which is: that is obviously a penalty.
Rodri is completely free and Hojlund is marking somebody else entirely. He realises the problem and sticks his arm out to grab Rodri and stop the danger. And it seemed like it had enough sustained contact to bring him down, rather than a brief hand across and a quick release — which is what Hojlund seemed to suggest when he explained to Ten Hag a few moments later (as he stood in a different body position to the one from the incident!).
Haaland celebrates his opening goal (Photo: Michael Regan/Getty Images)
Sheldon: United should feel hard done by. There is too much on the delivery for Rodri to get his head on it — as evidenced by Ruben Dias, who is deeper than his team-mate, failing to win his aerial challenge with Diogo Dalot.
Ten Hag stood at the back of United’s dugout, hands in his pockets, and shook his head once he had watched the replay. Hojlund also looked exasperated, demonstrating on his manager’s jacket what he did.
At worst, Hojlund was naive. But for the VAR to intervene and send Tierney to the monitor is a stretch. Once he was sent to the screen, it was always going to be given.
But was it really a clear and obvious error? And if that was given, why wasn’t Harry Maguire’s tangle with Haaland looked at in the second half?
Those questions strike at the crux of the matter, and at a time when VAR is seemingly dominating week after week, the debate over whether this was a penalty will linger.
What has happened to Mason Mount?
Carl Anka: Ten Hag went to great lengths to secure Mason Mount before United’s pre-season began, giving him the No 7 shirt and describing him as a “complete midfielder” who would make the team more dynamic.
Yet, Mount’s start to life at Old Trafford has underwhelmed. The former Chelsea man did not look totally comfortable playing ahead of Casemiro at the start of the season and his injury has seen Ten Hag turn to Hannibal Mejbri and Scott McTominay when in need of physicality in midfield.
The Manchester derby is the sort of big game that should bring the most out of Mount’s off-ball intelligence and passing vision, but Ten Hag waited until half-time to introduce him. Mount was given the freedom to swap positions with Bruno Fernandes and go through the middle or on the right but did little to affect the flow of City’s attacks.
Mount is a clever facilitator who looks a little lost in a team lacking talented specialists. But if Ten Hag’s plan was to have Mount jumpstart United’s front press and win the ball higher up the field, it was undermined by his decision to substitute Sofyan Amrabat at the same time; removing an (imperfect) safety blanket against City’s late runners into the box.
United fans have spent much of this summer wondering why Ten Hag pushed so hard to get Mount. They are still without an answer.
(Top photo: Catherine Ivill/Getty Images)
