Reuters
Manchester United were left frustrated after a ten-man Manchester City scraped a 1-0 win in a dramatic Manchester derby at Old Trafford, with Phil Foden's 23rd-minute red card unable to be punished despite United's consistent pressure.
Marcus Rashford struck the post from a free kick, as did Kobbie Mainoo shortly after halftime, which led to City putting up a rearguard effort until Erling Haaland put the visitors in front after a short VAR check confirmed Enzo Fernandes hadn't interfered with play before the ball fell to the Norwegian.
If anything, City looked more likely to score the second goal of the match after United's desperation to find an equaliser led to more opportunities on the break for Enzo Maresca's side.
Michael Carrick's side will feel it's an opportunity missed given that they spent three quarters of the match with a one-man advantage, while City will take real satisfaction from a win on the road, especially after the Foden red.
With the full-time whistle blown, here are the report cards on each player.
Manchester United Report Card
Action Images via Reuters/Lee Smith
United started brightly, with Lisandro Martinez (B-) forcing an early save from Gianluigi Donnarumma and Matheus Cunha (C) dragging an effort wide after a promising break. Bruno Fernandes, who could only earn a C- for his efforts, had a mixed afternoon, nearly gifting Haaland a clear chance with a stray pass but later drawing the foul from Foden that led to the Englishman's dismissal.
Manchester-United-and-Man-City's-wage-bills-and-highest-earners-compared'
After earning a B+ for his attacking work, Rashford and his post-rattling effort was as close as United came in the first half, and despite dominating possession and territory against ten men for well over an hour, Carrick's side couldn't find the breakthrough their pressure appeared to deserve.
This result now poses further questions to Carrick and United's squad after what can only be described as a disappointing result, given the advantage they had. With only one win in their four opening matches, anything less than a win against Fulham in their next league fixture will start to put pressure on both the players and the manager.
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|Manchester United Report Card vs Manchester City|
|Player|Grade|
|---|
|Senne Lammens|C+|
|Diogo Dalot|C+|
|Harry Maguire|C-|
|Lisandro Martinez|B-|
|Patrick Dorgu|C|
|Kobbie Mainoo|C|
|Youri Tielemans|C|
|Bruno Fernandes|C-|
|Bryan Mbeumo|C+|
|Matheus Cunha|C|
|Marcus Rashford|B-|
|Subs|
|Benjamin Sesko|D+|
|Joshua Zirkzee|N/A|
Manchester City Report Card
REUTERS/Isabel Infantes
City's afternoon was defined by Foden's moment of madness, retaliating to a slight kick from Fernandes to see red just 23 minutes in and earning him an E. Reduced to ten men for the remainder of the match, Maresca's side dug in defensively, with Ruben Dias (B-) and Marc Guehi (B-) marshalling a backline that came under sustained pressure.
Antoine Semenyo earned himself a C+, with his early run down the right proving to be one of the few offensive moments City could point to in the opening stages. Rayan Cherki (C) did his best to look alive, but he was hauled off after an hour for Iliman Ndiaye (B-), who was somewhat of a difference-maker in his half-hour cameo.
Foden gets sent off vs Man United
Foden gets sent off vs Man United
Ultimately, this was a story of resilience and organisation, especially when Donnarumma's (B) late save is factored in, as the visitors ground out a win they'll gladly take, given the circumstances.
As much as Haaland (B) was the goalscorer, it was Elliot Anderson who was City's best player, consistently winning the ball and putting his team on the front foot. The former Nottingham Forest man earns a B+ for his efforts and looks to have quickly settled with Fernandes as City's central pairing.