Manchester United were able to take one point from the Manchester Derby as the Red Devils endured a goalless draw. This derby is generally a high-scoring fixture but on Sunday both Manchester clubs were compact in their organisation and didn’t allow each other to create ample amount of chances.

The Old Trafford side would also be content with a draw as they had plenty of travelling during midweek - facing CSKA Moscow in Russia on Wednesday. The defensive performance from both sides was excellent, but who took the Man of the Match award?

Defence was solid

David de Gea (7/10)

The Spanish goalkeeper had nothing to do throughout the match as Manchester City hardly forced him to make a save. He distributed the ball well from the back, quickly too - and was able to keep his first clean sheet of the campaign in the derby.

Marcos Rojo (8/10)

Rojo enjoyed his best performance in a United shirt. The Argentine did a very good job in keeping Kevin de Bruyne relatively subdued, and also dealt well with the threat of Jesús Navas, once the pacey Spaniard was introduced in the second-half.

Adventurous going forward, he linked up well with Anthony Martial on the left-hand side and managed to deliver a number of dangerous crosses into the box - but frustratingly, no-one was there to latch onto his deliveries. A very impressive display from a player eager to shine in this current team. 

Phil Jones (7/10)

The English defender had a good game as he nullified the threat of Wilfried Bony. Reading the game very well, Jones made some key interceptions to break up play, and was assured in possession at the back. Slowly but steadily, he's beginning to form a solid centre-back pairing with Chris Smalling.

Chris Smalling (7/10)

Smalling has firmly established himself as the consistent one in the United first-team this year, again delivering a good performance to keep a clean sheet when it seemed unlikely before kick-off.

Winning aerial duels against Ivorian duo Bony and Yaya Touré, he also made some key passes from the back and was solid as ever in the heart of defence. Creating the best opportunity for the hosts from a set-piece, he came within inches of scoring a late winner - but for an excellent reflex save by his compatriot, Joe Hart

Antonio Valencia (7/10)

Valencia had a decent outing on Sunday, too. He kept Raheem Sterling quiet throughout the game and made some crucial tackles. He also dealt with de Bruyne sufficiently well when the Belgian switched to the left-hand side in the second 45.

However, his deliveries in the box were disappointing as he struggled to find any teammates in space in the final third, and often got forward too quickly - leaving gaps to exploit. Luckily though, his pace was utilised effectively to scamper back in position, to defend when called upon. 

Midfield was dominated

Morgan Schneiderlin (9/10)

Once again, the Frenchman began to show the qualities which persuaded the club to buy him in the summer. Keeping Touré's presence in midfield fairly quiet, he broke down City's counter-attacks on a number of occasions and showcased his fantastic passing range with some good, accurate diagonal balls to switch the play and force City defenders out wide at times. A very good performance at the base of midfield.

Bastian Schweinsteiger (8/10)

The German captain ran the show in the midfield as he surged forward for the Red Devils. He played some crisp passes into the final third, keeping the ball ticking in the centre of the park, as well as creating space for his teammates with some smart runs in midfield whilst the hosts retained possession. Fairly efficient display from the experienced midfielder.

Ander Herrera (7/10)

A relatively quiet afternoon for Herrera, who tried hard to create chances for his teammates, but City's compact defence ensured the Spaniard was unable to make space to do so. A perfect set-piece in the dying embers of the match could have led to the winner, but he also worked hard in midfield - both defensively and on the counter attack too.

Arguably, should have been awarded a penalty-kick as Sterling tripped him in the area midway through the second 45. 

Attack was timid

Anthony Martial (7/10)

The only bright spark for United in the final third. The 19-year-old often tried to create one special moment of magic for his side, but couldn't do it regularly enough to break down City's defence. A delightful lofted pass flew into the path of substitute Jesse Lingard - whose effort crashed off the crossbar, and Martial was constantly lively, even when his teammates were not so much. 

Wayne Rooney (6/10)

A disappointing, quiet performance by the captain as his poor form continues. Wayne didn't create any chance for the side, and had no attempts on-goal. His touch also, let him down on a number of occasions as United lost the ball in promising situations in the final third, despite all of their possession in the early exchanges. 

Quite often, he found himself in a deeper position to try and gather the ball, when he really should have been in-and-around the area, seeing as he was the lone striker in a 4-2-3-1 formation on the afternoon.

Juan Mata (6/10)

Mata endured a disappointing performance too, before he was rightly substituted in the second-half, in place of Lingard. Losing the ball in dangerous positions, he was also underwhelming in the final third as he failed to create a single chance and often looked to play the ball forward, but just a tad too slowly or dithering in possession - giving the visitors a chance to set themselves in their defensive shape to try and intercept the danger. 

Substitutes

Jesse Lingard (7/10)

Maraoune Fellaini (6/10)

Matteo Darmian (N/A)

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About the author
Kiran Thakare
Student of Chemical Engineering. United supporter.