If one picture summed up the Manchester derby, it was Casemiro leaping on to Michael Carrick when United thought they had scored a third goal. The marginal offside didn’t matter, with the home side comfortable and deserved 2-0 winners, and there was no mistaking the buoyant mood around the place. Carrick was part of one of the greatest Manchester United sides, pulling on the storied jersey 464 times, and this was just about the perfect start. United were hungry, resolute and as dangerous as piranhas in the water. City had the ball but next to no control, and were toothless throughout. You wouldn’t have been able to tell which team was chasing the title. Here are our takeaways from an Old Trafford afternoon to remember for Carrick and crew
Possession isn’t everything
Guardiola’s team had much more of the ball (68 per cent) but did next to nothing with it. They didn’t have a shot on target, while United had seven, apart from Harry Maguire’s header against the bar and two strikes from Amad Diallo and Bruno Fernandes chalked off for offside in the first half. It’s no exaggeration to say that Gianluigi Donnarumma in goal was City’s best player.
Fernandes does damage as creative fulcrum
There were times earlier in the season when Ruben Amorim played him as a sitting midfielder, a No. 6. Restored to No. 10 duties, Fernandes was everywhere, threading passes, making runs and exposing every defensive chink City had. It was his precise pass from a breakaway that Bryan Mbeumo put away to give United the advantage.
No lazy United
It’s been a constant complaint that United didn’t put in the hard yards in recent seasons. But in front of the most raucous Old Trafford crowd of the season, there was no shortage of effort. United defended with tenacity, putting bodies on the line, and were a constant threat on the break. Casemiro, Lisandro Martinez and Maguire, three of the old stagers, led the way.
At the other end of the pitch, Patrick Dorgu’s lung-busting run to tuck away the second goal emphasised the desire with which United poured forward on the break.
Where was Haaland?
By the time Guardiola substituted him with less than 10 minutes to go, Erling Haaland had managed just 15 touches. Apart from a hasty and skied shot, it’s hard to think of anything he did. The service wasn’t great, but his continued anonymity as City navigated a poor January is a big concern.
Sideline mood says everything
“Today was special, putting things together quickly and trying to put an imprint on the team,” Carrick said to Sky Sports after the match. “Gathering together and emotionally getting attached to what we want to do. I felt that from the staff and the players.
“I am not getting carried away. It is one result, but it needs to be a regular feeling with that level of performance.”
A subdued Guardiola, whose day was somewhat salvaged only by Arsenal’s failure to win at Nottingham Forest in the late game, said: “The better team won. When a team is better, you have to accept it. They had the energy we didn’t have, so congratulations.
“They had the chances at the end and, of course, the goals we conceded were poor.”
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