This article is part of our Match of the Week series.
The 192nd installment of the Manchester derby closed out the weekend for Gameweek 27 with Manchester City taking their 61st win in the series after completing a second-half comeback. City took all six points in the two meetings this season, as they trounced United 3-0 at Old Trafford in October. As for the table, City saw no movement, remaining one point off first-place Liverpool, while United also remained in sixth, sitting six points off off fifth-placed Tottenham.
Starting XIs
The sides came in with the same formations they had used in their previous contests, as City stuck with their 3-2-4-1 for a second consecutive game, while United stayed with the same 4-2-3-1.
City saw the standard rotation we are used to with Pep Guardiola, first rotating the defense by starting Kyle Walker, Kevin De Bruyne, and Jeremy Doku.
United only made two changes, starting in the defense, with Jonny Evans coming in for the injured Harry Maguire. The only other difference came in the midfield, as Scott McTominay returned to his starting role in holding midfield.
Match Facts
First Half
Manchester City wasted no time. They immediately shifted into their possession-based tiki-taka style of play to create space within the Red Devils defense, using possession, positioning and pressing to control the match. It was the usual strategy we see from Pep, playing around his back-line while building up the attack periodically, not forcing any passes, and waiting for an open player before advancing the ball.
They obviously were favoring the center of the field, looking for Doku and Phil Foden to receive the ball out wide and then cut inside the box, then picking out a pass or dribbling to look for a shot of their own. The two would end up with eight chances created, eight duels won, 12 shots, 13 crosses and 29 touches in the opposing box combined, clearly an influential piece of the club's performance Sunday. This would give City early momentum in the match, as they would shape out a few opportunities in the first 45 but couldn't find the back of the net.
They also found their chances by overloading the edge of the penalty area, with De Bruyne and Bernardo Silva joining the three up top to make a line of five across United's last defender. Rodri would then drop in right behind the five to catch any rebounds, with Ruben Dias and John Stones sitting above midfield to whip any ball that bounced out of the attack back into the box, giving the opposition no time to rest. This caused headaches for the Red Devils, but it forced no damage early on, only leading to more possession for City.
As far as the defense, there wasn't much for City due to their control of the match, only leaving the three back to defend, which would quickly turn to two after an attack broke out. This would cause issues in the first 45, as they were left wide open for the counterattack, but luckily, they solved this in the second half. When not in transition, City would drop Stones out of the midfield and into the backline to create a back four.
United also stuck to their guns strategically, as they deployed their regular counterattack tactics, usually only pushing forward on the counter but dropping deep when on the back foot. The primary source of their attack came from a direct style of play, having one of their defenders or holding midfielders play a long ball forward in search of Alejandro Garnacho, Marcus Rashford or Bruno Fernandes to win the ball on the other end. From there, they would go out wide to look for a looping cross into the middle or take a long-range shot to catch the keeper and defense off guard in the transition.
They attempted very few plays out of the back, possibly because of City's high press, causing United to hold a slim piece of the possession. This also forced little play inside City's box, even when they outnumbered the Citizens on the counterattack, generating just nine touches in the opposing box. Scoring attempts came rarely for the United, as goalscoring has been difficult for the club this season, with only 37 goals on the campaign.
Their defensive setup was similar to the rest of the season, as they dropped deep, allowing pressure into their half but counteracting that by keeping all but one of their players in the defensive half. The most significant change within the defense was the shape they settled for, becoming a little tighter in the middle of the field, trying to force City to take longer-range shots instead of moving the ball into the box as they preferred. This would work well for a decent portion of the match, however, giving City more possession is always a risk.
United would notch the first goal on a counterattack, as Rashford banged home a magnificent bar-down goal. This was an immediate result of their long-ball mentality, as goalkeeper Andre Onana played a hopeful ball forward off of a goal kick to Fernandes, who nodded down to Rashford.
Most of the first half played out with numerous chances for City, with a couple of those being great opportunities blundered due to poor finishing, as they controlled much of the half with their 74-percent possession while also tacking on 18 shots and 2.83 xG. United saw a few chances on the break. However, none were high-percentage chances, as they ended the half with two shots and 0.21 xG.
Second Half
Moving into the second 45, not much changed, as both sides remained similar to their standard tactics.
The one minor change with City was to push the ball out a bit wider when attacking, using the width of the field to carve out chances. However, this didn't change much when attacking, as United would not fall for the bait, sticking with their tight defensive shape.
United were much more timid on the counter, instead just clearing the ball and sending one player to chase, maintaining a presence of nine to ten players in their half, hoping to solidify the defense even more, also known as parking the bus.
City would end up bagging their first goal just 11 minutes after the restart, as Phil Foden whipped in a beautiful shot from outside the box, finding the top left corner to level the match. This came after a seeming foul on Rashford near the edge of City's box was not deemed to be an infraction, City broke out on a counter, pushing numbers forward, allowing space for Foden to find a clean shot on net.
From this point on, the complete mood of the match would flip, as City found a new burst of energy.
The game would stay in a stalemate until about the 70th minute, as the substitutions made by Erik Ten Hag seemed to allow more pressure from City, taking off some of his best players for the end of the contest. Garnacho would make way for Omori Forson, the goalscorer Rashford would come off for Antony and Soyfan Amrabat for Kobie Mainoo.
The Sky Blue's domination would start when City was finally able to find the middle of the pitch and the box, using the intricate passing to set up Foden for a brace in the 80th minute, with the goal coming from just beyond the six-yard box, just getting past the fingertips of Onana.
The final nail in the coffin would be an Erling Haaland goal in the 91st minute. The goal would once again come from a Red Devil blunder, as a poorly placed pass and touch by Arambat would give City possession right outside of United's box, leading to a clear through ball from Rodri to Haaland, who made no mistake.
Although United stuck in the match to the end, it was never their game to win, as they were outplayed from the first whistle, only taking a lead because of a wonder goal by Rashford. They only saw one decent stretch of momentum coming out of the gates in the second half, but that was quickly diminished by Foden's goal. The final stats also favored the Citizens, as they finished with an impressive 73 percent possession while adding on four big chances, 27 shots and 3.33 xG, compared to United's one, three and 0.25, respectively.
Man of the Match
Foden takes the cake for his masterful display, as he has found a new vein of form. His performance was almost enough to top United alone, as he registered 11 crosses, nine shots, five duels won and two chances created to go along with his brace. However, his stats do not show the true extent of his addition to the match, as his movement off the ball and ability to find space in the attack was world class. He has 18 goal contributions in league play this season, having not gone longer than three contests without a contribution.
Upcoming Fixtures
Manchester City's upcoming matches will be no easy feat as they go through a gauntlet over the next month. They begin with the second leg of their round of 16 tie with Copenhagen in the Champions League before moving on to three critical matches against Liverpool, Arsenal and Aston Villa. They also have their FA Cup quarterfinal match against Newcastle between the Liverpool and Arsenal fixtures.
United has an easier road but still has some tough contests sprinkled in. They begin with Everton but then head to Liverpool for a tilt in the FA Cup Quarterfinals. Then it gets a bit easier, facing Brentford and Chelsea before taking on Liverpool again, this time in league play, hoping to take at least nine points from the four league matches.
Looking Ahead
Manchester City will only have the league title on their mind moving forward, trying to capture their fourth straight. From their current position, they will not be able to drop a point if they want to control their destiny, with the possible league deciders on the horizon in their upcoming contests against Liverpool and Arsenal.
As for United, they will look for a spot in European competitions while trying to finish another disappointing season strong. They find themselves six points off Tottenham for the fifth-place spot and direct admission into the UEL. However, that is could be a tall task for the underperforming Red Devils.
Gameweek 28 Preview
I will be keeping Manchester City under the microscope heading into their next fixture, as possibly the biggest match of the season takes place next weekend when they face Liverpool for sole possession of first place in the league. Liverpool currently sits one point ahead, but a loss could result in their last chance at a title with Jurgen Klopp still in charge.
