Manchester United tested Manchester City in the local derby, making them work hard throughout, yet failed to get points off them, losing 2-1 at Old Trafford on Sunday evening.
Goals from David Silva and Nicolas Otamendi were enough for the visitors to extend their winning run to 14 Premier League matches, as Marcus Rashford scored the only goal for Man United. It was a slightly chaotic clash, with Man City failing to control the match in the manner they wanted, yet still managed to come on top of their rivals.
The Title Race Is Basically Over
This means the Premier League title race is practically over. It is not even winter officially, yet Manchester City managed to create an eleven-point gap between themselves and Manchester United. Not only did Citizens managed to break the record for most consecutive wins in a single Premier League season, but they did it at Old Trafford.
United’s 40-match long run of being unbeaten at home is now gone. David De Gea was unable to stop the close-range shots this time around, as both Silva and Otamendi had an easy job of putting the ball past him from few yards.
Romelu Lukaku Struggled In Every Department
And both of those goals happened after Romelu Lukaku’s poor defending in the box. The first goal was set up for Silva after the Belgian nodded the ball down and towards United’s goal, with the Spaniard burying it from six-yard box line.
Second time, it was Lukaku trying to hit the ball as far away from the goal as possible, but his shot hit Chris Smalling into his back, returning back towards De Gea’s goal for Otamendi to score.
Lukaku also lacked any real danger about him. Man City did not have too much trouble stopping the frustrated striker, and when he got a chance from Anthony Martial late into the game, he managed to shot from six yards out straight to Ederson’s face. Lukaku’s confidence has been shattered.
Manchester City Keep Grinding Out Wins Despite Problems
This was the fourth consecutive 2-1 win for Man City in the league. They managed to beat Southampton, Huddersfield and West Ham from losing positions and this time they recovered from a late first-half goal from Rashford.
They did not play as well as they can and that has been the case for a while now. Yet, without breaking too much sweat – as we have seen in their 5-0, 6-0 and 7-2 wins – Manchester City are now on 14 consecutive wins. That says a lot.
Nemanja Matic In Brilliant Form For Manchester United
Once again, Nemanja Matic was very important for Jose Mourinho and his team. He was highlighted as one of key players in stopping Kevin De Bruyne, who did not have one of his best games.
However, it was Matic’s composure that caught the eye again. He managed to keep the ball longer than any other Man United player, easing his team-mates into longer periods of possession. Matic completed three dribbles in the process, buying some time for defenders to enjoy periods of play without being under huge pressure, while also breaking Man City’s play with four interceptions.
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