A result in stark contrast to how this fixture concluded back in October, Erik ten Hag has won his first Manchester derby as Manchester United manager.
The slow first half was very out of character for ‘Derby Day,’ but a 60th minute header from Jack Grealish opened the scoring for Manchester City.
In a dramatic turn of events however, Man United answered back with late efforts from Bruno Fernandes and Marcus Rashford in quick succession. Rashford now has 8 Premier League goals this season as today’s game improved his hot home form at Old Trafford.
Now, here is how every player got on with a rating out of 10:
Manchester United’s starting XI
David de Gea - 6.5
The Spaniard had very little goalkeeping to do as his opponents only registered a single shot on target in the game, which resulted in a goal. His distribution looks to be much improved though, as his frequent punts away from goal dealt with Man City’s pressing well.
Aaron Wan-Bissaka - 7.5
The full back’s returning good formed continued in this game, as Diogo Dalot’s absence led to a strong defensive performance from Wan-Bissaka. His ability on the ball and going forward have improved massively under ten Hag, with this game showcasing his new-found skills well.
Raphaël Varane - 8
A strong display of good defensive positioning from Varane meant that he was in the right place at the right time to deal with his opponent’s crosses on plenty of occasions. A number of composed, good quality headed clearances saw another excellent performance from the 4x Champions League winner.
Luke Shaw - 7
Another start in the centre back position for Shaw led to another good performance from the Englishman. His calmness and impressive ball playing ability in such a big game definitely reassured to his manager that he can play in unorthodox positions in the big games too.
Tyrell Malacia - 8
A much improved derby performance for Man United’s newest full-back, as he did not let his horror show in the 6-3 back in October phase him. Malacia timed plenty of tackles and interceptions to perfection, as well as getting in the Derby Day spirit with a few fouls that roughed up his opponents from minute one.
Casemiro - 7.5
Once again, Casemiro proved to be one of the top midfielders in the Premier League right now. A real bully in the Man United midfield who, along with some clumsier challenges, made vital tackles to keep his team in the game. He also registered his 3rd league assist in the build up to Fernandes’ goal.
Fred - 7.5
The Brazilian has seemed to have reinvented himself under ten Hag, with his performance today arguably being his best in a Man United shirt. Fred was largely responsible for keeping Kevin de Bruyne so quiet in the first half and only failed to complete 3/34 attempted passes.
Bruno Fernandes - 8
Fuelled on passion and determination, Fernandes was everywhere. Although some would argue his goal was given controversially due to Rashford’s positioning, there is no denying that his finish was simply lovely. An armband worthy performance.
Christian Eriksen - 5.5
It looked as though Eriksen really struggled to find his feet in the game. He lost possession 10 times and was convincingly outperformed by all of his midfield teammates. A dangerous through ball to Rashford in the first half almost led to a goal, but it was denied by Ederson.
Marcus Rashford - 8
Energy, energy, energy is what Rashford brought to the team today. Despite picking up a worrying knock on the brink of half time, Rashford persevered. His courage paid off too, as he sealed the win for his beloved Man United with a nutmeg finish in the 82nd minute.
Anthony Martial - 4
A performance rather in contrast to the aforementioned Marcus Rashford. Martial was subbed off at half time after a 45 minute performance in which he offered very little to the game. He rarely pressed the Man City defence was caught offside twice; on one occasion the flag could have been avoided if he put more effort in, this very much reflected his stint.
Manchester United’s substitutes
Antony (for Martial, 45’) - 5.5
In the last derby game, Antony scored a worldie that was voted Man United’s Goal of the Month for October. In this game however, the winger did not make as much of an impact. After Grealish’s goal went in, Antony helped his team press with a few sprints here and there. On the ball though, he did very little.
Alejandro Garnacho (for Eriksen, 72’) - 7.5
The 18 year old Argentine made quite the impact in his first Manchester derby. It took Garnacho just 10 minutes to grab himself an assist for the goal that won Man United the game. His determination to impress was evident, as he was not afraid to run straight at the experienced Kyle Walker or Nathan Aké.
Harry Maguire, Scott Mctominay and Lisandro Martínez were substituted into the game during stoppage time.
Manchester City’s starting XI
Ederson - 6.5
Both of the goals he conceded would have been hard for any ‘keeper to stop. In the first half, Ederson made a crucial save to deny Rashford the opener and throughout the remainder of the game his distribution was as reliable as ever for Pep Guardiola’s side.
Kyle Walker - 6
A comfortable first half for Walker, as he did not have much to do. His forward play was impressive and he also provided an impressive passing display with 78 completed passes, 15 of them in the final third. However, it was his positioning high up the pitch that made it so difficult for Man City to prevent the second goal.
Manuel Akanji - 7
A centre back with a lot of pressure to perform due to the absences of John Stones and Rúben Dias, and he certainly did not crack. Neither goal was particularly his fault and he also made a goal line block in the first half to keep Man City in the game. He completed a whopping 101 passes too, which equalled almost a third that the entire Man United team managed.
Nathan Aké - 6.5
It was not just Akanji who made over 100 passes as Aké managed one more than his Swiss centre back partner. The Dutchman was composed throughout the game but it was his legs in which Garnacho’s pass went through to assist Rashford’s winner.
João Cancelo - 5
A rare poor performance from Cancelo, who offered very little going forward other than some occasional impressive ball retention. In fairness to Cancelo, he was offered very little help from his teammates on the left hand side.
Rodri - 7
A typical performance from Rodri, who moved the ball well and was the main reason as to why Man United only recorded 29% of the possession. He won possession 12 times and tried to give all of his teammates the ball as much as possible, to keep their opponents on their toes.
Kevin de Bruyne - 6
Man City’s usual star man had a tough start to the game and failed to make much of an impact in the first half. Dispossessed frequently and definitely lost out to Fred in their midfield head-to-head. In the second half, he did seem to turn things up a notch slightly as he provided a nice assist for Grealish’s goal.
Bernardo Silva - 5
Bernardo was another player who found it difficult to find a rhythm in the game. In the first half particularly, he often found himself in very deep spaces and failed to make very much tick. He registered Man City’s only shot in the first half, but it was blocked in a convincing fashion.
Riyad Mahrez - 5.5
Mahrez too struggled to make much impact in the game. This was partially down to the fact that he was fouled 6 times in the 90 minutes he played. Similarly to Bernardo, Mahrez also dropped deep on a number of a occasions. He did set up de Bruyne’s assist with a well worked pass into the box.
Phil Foden - 2
To put it plainly, Phil Foden did not play well. He lasted just 57 minutes on the pitch before being substituted and was the only starter in sky blue to not last a full 90. He only touched the ball 15 times and he seemed to have forgotten the offside rule. His only reason to earn a rating was that he completed 11/12 passes. A derby performance quite the opposite to the one a few months ago.
Erling Haaland - 2
Possibly the striker’s worst performance in a Man City shirt to date. He managed just 20 touches in 90 minutes and his just 2 shots failed to reach the target. Haaland made a couple of runs in behind during the first half that may have lead to something, if he was given the service. The Man United defenders and holding midfielders did an excellent job in keeping the Norwegian quiet.
Manchester City’s substitute
Jack Grealish (for Foden, 57’) - 7.5
One of the best (if not the best) players for Man City in the game. Grealish only needed 3 minutes to open the scoring which he did by positioning himself nicely in the box and glancing the ball into the net from de Bruyne’s cross. He attracted plenty of attention from the Man United players, by getting fouled 3 times leading to 2 yellow cards being shown to the opposition.