Reuters/Jason Cairnduff
Manchester United suffered an embarrassing derby day defeat to rivals Manchester City this afternoon, despite playing the vast majority of the encounter with a man advantage.
Phil Foden was dismissed for kicking out at Bruno Fernandes in the 23rd minute, but Michael Carrick’s men were unable to capitalise on the opportunity handed their way.
Erling Haaland’s second-half strike was enough to secure all three points for Enzo Maresca’s men, with a long VAR check overturning the original offside call from the linesman.
Reuters/Jason Cairnduff
However, it’s safe to say various Red Devils talents failed to cover themselves in glory this afternoon, with the manager desperately needing to drop them from his starting eleven.
Why Carrick must drop Dorgu & Dalot after Man City defeat
For the Manchester Derby this afternoon, Carrick decided to utilise Diogo Dalot and Patrick Dorgu in the full-back areas to restrict the threat posed by Maresca’s men.
The Portuguese international struggled to deal with Antoine Semenyo, as reflected by the underlying stats he produced from the clash at Old Trafford this afternoon.
REUTERS/Scott Heppell
He was only able to come out on top of 43% of the ground duels he entered, whilst committing three fouls - highlighting his inability to deal with the opposition.
Dalot was just as ineffective in attacking areas, subsequently failing to pick out a teammate with any of his crosses, whilst completing just 50% of his dribble attempts.
As for Dorgu on the opposite flank, he too struggled to contain the threat posed by City, as he too committed three fouls and was dribbled past on two separate occasions.
The Danish international could also only make one interception and two clearances, as Iliman Ndiaye often enjoyed success up against him after his introduction.
Both of the aforementioned full-backs failed to produce the goods once again and further highlights why added reinforcements in such departments were craved this summer.
Why one United player was as bad as Dorgu & Dalot
Losing to your neighbours is always a bitter pill for the supporters to swallow, but they will be more disappointed by the level of performance produced by the senior members of the squad this afternoon.
Even with a man advantage, the Red Devils were unable to break down the Citizens, subsequently registering just three shots on target throughout the defeat.
Man United wage bill
Man United wage bill
The likes of Bruno Fernandes and Matheus Cunha both endured off days at Old Trafford, which no doubt contributed to the lack of creativity in attacking areas.
Winger Bryan Mbeumo also struggled to deliver the goods within attacking areas, subsequently failing to add to his goal tally in the 2026/27 campaign.
The Cameroonian was once again selected to operate off the right-hand side of the attack, but his stats showcase how much he struggled to break down Josko Gvardiol.
He registered the joint-most shots of any player during the encounter, but could only place 33% of his efforts on target - which saw him fail to test Gianluigi Donnarumma.
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Bryan Mbeumo - stats against Man City
Statistics
Minutes played
Touches
Pass accuracy
Possession lost
Shot on target accuracy
Big chances missed
Dribbles completed
Duels lost
The 27-year-old also failed to complete any of the three dribbles he attempted within the final third, whilst only being able to make two passes into attacking areas.
His lack of quality was evident within attacking areas, which resulted in him being extremely wasteful and handing possession back to the visitors 17 times - the most of any player in Carrick’s squad.
Mbeumo was also outfought by Maresca’s backline, resulting in the forward losing 75% of the total duels he contested earlier this afternoon - including just one aerial battle won.
Reuters/Jason Cairnduff
After such a showing, it’s evident that the winger can be extremely ineffective when called upon and sometimes goes missing when the supporters are counting on him most.
He, Dalot and Dorgu were undoubtedly the three players who disappointed the most at Old Trafford, which should see Carrick immediately dropping all three ahead of the club’s next outing.