Manchester United prevail over rivals Manchester City on a controversial call
(Alamy Stock Photo)
MANCHESTER, England – Last Saturday the 189th Manchester derby took place as host team Manchester United hosted cross-town rivals Manchester City. Going into the match, Manchester United stood in 4th place in the English Premier League with 35 points while rivals Manchester City stood in 2nd place with 39 points. The match was highly anticipated as each team had massively improved from the last derby, which ended in a 6-3 victory for Manchester City.
Manchester United lined up in their typical 4-2-3-1 formation, however, due to an injury to starting right back Diogo Dalot played back up right back Aaron Wan-Bissaka. Along with that to rotate the squad Manager Erik Ten Hag also started center midfielder Fred and pushed attacking midfielder Bruno Fernandes onto the wing to rest young talent Alejandro Garnacho. Manchester City lined up in a 4-3-3 formation with their only change replacing injured center-back John Stones for Nathaniel Ake.
The game started and went as expected. City looked to maintain possession and create chances through their overlapping fullbacks, while United looked to play with a high line of pressure to win the ball in key attacking areas. United was the first to create a goal-scoring opportunity when in the 11th minute Bruno Fernandes was played through on goal with his chances just going wide of the far post. For most of the first half the game was evenly matched with both teams thwarting opposing opportunities with sensational play from the midfielders. Rodri was the anchor in the City midfield, while Fred and Casemiro shut down the City attempts. Later in the First half, it was United again who looked to be the team to get on the score sheet first as Marcus Rashford, who has scored 6 goals in his last five matches, was played through on goal only to be met by goalkeeper Ederson. At the end of the first half the game was knotted even at 0-0.
After an intense first half, both teams were looking to take home the crucial 3 points from this game. United made the first substitution of the game, taking off striker Anthony Martial for Brazilian winger Antony. The second half started similarly to the first half with each team looking defensively sound. City was the first to create a chance as midfielder Kevin De Bruyne played a beautiful cross to the back post where Bernardo Silva just couldn’t find a teammate's foot with his header. The game carried on until City was the first to break the deadlock in the 60th minute when De Bruyne played a perfect cross to the head of substitute Jack Grealish making the score 1-0 to Manchester City. United did not back down after conceding and continued to press forward to try and find an equalizer. To make this happen Manager Erik Ten Hag subbed on wonder kid Alejandro Garnacho to try and give energy to the team. The game continued to be back and forth until United found their equalizer in the 80th minute of the match. Marcus Rashford ran onto a pass but was in an offside position, leaving the ball for Bruno Fernandes to finish. He scored and at first, the goal was disallowed as Rashford had been offside in the buildup of the goal. However, after going to Video Assistant Referee (VAR), it was determined that Rashford’s involvement did not impact the play and the goal stood. City was furious as the United players celebrated and the fans sang in deafening tones. This was a new United team playing with much more energy and passion compared to earlier parts of the game. This all culminated as United found the eventual game-winning goal in the 82nd minute of the match. Alejandro Garnacho found the foot of Marcus Rashford in the middle of the City 18-yard box and he was able to beat the goalkeeper and score to take the lead. Old Trafford erupted as United took the lead in a must-win game this season. After an intense few final minutes of the match, the final whistle was blown and United was victorious.
While United celebrated a derby win over their rivals, City was furious when the first United goal stood. This goal is still being disputed whether it should have been given, with many fans of the Premier League arguing on social media. While there are still a lot of games to be played in the Premier League, this win was a massive win for United as they look to stay in the race for the Title.