Manchester United broke down **Manchester City**’s defence twice to secure all three points at Old Trafford.
The game began at a frantic pace, with United picking up two yellow cards inside the opening 17 minutes amid a flurry of aggressive attacks and high pressing.
City enjoyed prolonged spells of possession around the United penalty area, but their control failed to translate into clear-cut chances.
The defeat leaves Manchester City on the brink of falling out of the Premier League title race. They now sit joint second with Aston Villa, who have a game in hand.
Gianluigi Donnarumma’s Heroics Not Enough as United Eventually Break City
City appear to have finally found a goalkeeper they can rely on. However, their centre-back pairing for the season, Ruben Dias and Josko Gvardiol, both picked up injuries in the fixture against Chelsea.
Donnarumma stepped up with a point to prove, producing five saves, four of them from inside the box, to keep City in the contest.
The standout moment came midway through the second half, when he pulled off a remarkable double save, first denying Amad before reacting instantly to block **Casemiro**’s rebound with an outstretched right leg, preventing United from taking the lead in the 57th minute.
Often criticised for his distribution, Donnarumma did exactly what was required of a goalkeeper producing a series of outstanding saves to keep City in the game.
However, he couldn’t hold United off indefinitely. The pressure kept building, United kept knocking on the door, and eventually two goals arrived, a tally that could easily have been five were it not for a handful of tight offside calls.
Phil Foden Lost Between Roles
Foden has struggled to replicate the form he showed at the start of the season over the past few matches.
He looked lost for large spells, managing just 30 touches in the first half, losing possession eight times, completing only 82% of his passes, low by his usual standards, and was withdrawn at half-time.
Foden enjoyed a strong start to the season as a deep-lying playmaker. While the role didn’t bring eye-catching numbers, he looked confident on the ball, helped in the build-up, and dictated the tempo of games.
He is a player who thrives on confidence, and that deeper role suited him well. With more touches and time on the ball, he was able to settle into matches and consistently pick out high-quality passes.
City’s reliance on Erling Haaland quickly became a major talking point early in the season. In response, Pep Guardiola pushed Foden into more advanced areas, as Foden is the squad's second-best finisher after the Norwegian.
This tactical change did bring Foden goals and assists, but the downside is that in games where he fails to score or register an assist, he often looks completely out of the match.
Rush Substitutions
Pep’s early substitutions hinted at a lack of faith in his initial plan, with both Foden and Alleyne withdrawn at half-time.
The later changes, bringing on Tijjani Reijnders, Divine Mukasa, and Rayan Ait-Nouri, only added to City’s sense of panic, as those substitutions failed to provide the control or creativity needed to change the game.
The game was lost through a lack of preparation, with several key players failing to look sharp. Haaland offered little threat, Foden was largely absent, Cherki struggled to be resourceful, Doku lacked his usual sharpness in one-on-one situations, and Rico Lewis found it difficult to impose himself on the game.
The Defensive Collapse
Post the injuries to the starting centre-back pairing of Ruben Dias and Josko Gvardiol, City’s defence has not looked the same.
The defensive line of Matheus Nunes, Dias, Gvardiol, and Nico O’Reilly initially looked solid, but injuries and rotation in recent matches have seen the Blues struggle to produce consistent defensive performances.
Max Alleyne was recalled from his loan spell to provide depth and made an immediate impression, starting alongside Abdukodir Khusanov. The pair have featured together in the last two matches against Exeter and Newcastle.
Abdukodir Khusanov has emerged as a bright spark in City’s back line, showing strong defensive awareness, particularly when tracking back towards his own goal.
Max Alleyne is a reliable ball-playing centre-back, but he appeared a bit overwhelmed by the intensity and pressure of today’s derby.