Manchester City recorded a 3-1 victory over United with second-half goals from Phil Foden and Erling Haaland, after Marcus Rashford put the Reds 1-0 up on 8 minutes with an absolute screamer from outside the box.
The defeat leaves United 11 points adrift of Villa in fourth, and 6 behind Spurs, who have played a game fewer than United.
Despite the defeat to our bitter cross-town rivals, Erik Ten Hag was pleased with parts of the performance, particularly given United’s dire injury situation
“Football isn’t only about possession [when asked about United’s low possession stats], we scored a brilliant goal and had some other opportunities in the first 20 minutes. We defended brilliantly out of possession, but in defining moments [luck] wasn’t on our side. I think we were really close to a win or at least a draw.
Rashford confirmed to me there was contact [by Kyle Walker before the equaliser] and I think he was out of control. Him and Evans were both taken off through injury; it wasn’t to our advantage.
We were proactive in defending on the front foot on the edge of our box and then counter-attacking.
The fifth spot can also be a Champions League spot so we have to go for it and win our games.”
Erik Ten Hag speaking after the match
United waste big chances – but clear gap between teams remains
Make no mistake about it, over the 90 minutes City were the better side and deserved to win.
However, United’s tendency to not take their chances came back today, with Marcus Rashford guilty of fluffing his lines on a couple of occasions when through on goal.
In a game where United were always going to be huge underdogs, taking the few chances we created, defending well and getting the rub of the green were going to be paramount to getting a result. Unfortunately it wasn’t to be, and City’s relentless pressure, possession and quality were ultimately too much.
a solid plan and some good performances
United and Erik Ten Hag have been accused of ‘not having a plan’ on several occasions this season, but in fairness, there was a clear shape and plan yesterday.
Bruno Fernandes operated as a false 9 with a midfield of Casemiro, McTominay and Mainoo, and the Portugese was one of our better players, working hard defensively and creating danger when on the ball. United looked disciplined in the first half and maintained the defensive structure well, creating dangerous counter-attacks and reducing City to half chances and long distance efforts, apart from a shocking miss from Erling Haaland.
Diogo Dalot, Jonny Evans, Varane and Onana all played their part and City looked frustrated at half-time, but the reality is, United currently just do not have the personnel to compete with City over 90 minutes.
Jonny Evans and Lindelof (playing out of position) made up two of our back four, and Antony, Amrabat, Kambwala and Forson were our four substitutes. With all due respect to those players, they aren’t game-changers and on this occasion, the manager’s hands were pretty much tied.
Player ratings and MOTM
Onana – 7. Made some great saves at important times and helped set up United’s goal.
Dalot – 7. Brought the ball out well, defended admirably and clearly cares about the cause.
Varane – 7. Led the defence well and made several important blocks and clearing headers.
Evans – 6.5. Similar to Varane, defended well especially in the first half – but was booked and brought off through injury on 70 minutes.
Lindelof – 5.5. Still doesn’t look great at left back but kept going and made some interceptions. Gave Foden too much room for the first City goal.
McTominay – 5. Worked hard defensively but didn’t get on the ball enough and failed to influence the game.
Casemiro – 5.5. Started well in midfield but faded and let Foden in too easily for the second goal.
Mainoo – 6.5. Didn’t get as much chance to show off his attacking talents but had some nice moments going forward and helped protect Casemiro in midfield.
Fernandes – 7.5 & MOTM. Played as a false 9 and did well to hold off the City defender and tee up Marcus.
Garnacho – 6. Had a few chances and could have won a penalty on a different day, but faded in the second half – looks like he is tiring a bit from all the game time recently.
Rashford – 6. Scored a wonder goal and actually had some good defensive moments too, but missed a couple of big chances and faded in the second half, when he was subbed for Antony.
Subs:
Kambwala (on for Evans on 69′) – 5. Outmatched by De Bruyne but stuck to the task.
Antony (on for Rashford on 75′) – 4. Gave the ball away and wasn’t involved much.
Forson – (on for Garnacho on 82′) – 5. A difficult ask against elite opposition.
Amrabat – (on for Mainoo on 82′) – 2. Hardly touched the ball and made a shocking mistake for City’s third.
Looking ahead
United are really in do-or-die territory with regards to CL qualification. The extended format means 5th or even 6th place in the league might squeeze in, but with United still to play Arsenal and Liverpool, you’d think that our next game at home to Everton is an absolute must-win to stand even a slim chance.
After that’s it’s the big FA Cup quarter final against Liverpool and United’s last chance at silverware.
Given the subs that came on against City, we could really do with getting some of our first-team players back and firing on all cylinders – watch this space.
