Manchester United have done it again! After winning twice against Manchester City this season, they have managed to get a hat-trick of kind. Goals from Anthony Martial and Scott McTominay earned the Red Devils a 2-0 victory at Old Trafford.
The Sunday afternoon clash was already the fourth Manchester Derby and the third Devils managed to win. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer therefore got his third win over Pep Guardiola in a single season. This was also the first league double over Man City since the 2009-10 season – the wait of ten years has now ended.
Here are four things we learned from this match.
Fernandes Is Truly Incredible
What a game this was for Bruno Fernandes. The Portuguese has managed to make all Manchester United fans go raving about him and that was completely deserved. Ever since joining the club, he has managed to make everyone talk about his great performances and this one has been the same. Just the way he made that goal for Anthony Martial after the half hour mark would be enough on its own to get an article about it, let alone the entire performances.
He was eager to make things happen, he was making United tick when in possession and it is simply incredible to what extent he has managed to make impact on this team.
Man City A Different Team Without De Bruyne
Manchester City managed to end their previous campaign with 14 wins and snatch the Premier League title with 98 points. They managed to do so despite the fact they have played for the most part of the season without Kevin De Bruyne. That makes it all the more incredible just how reliant this season they are on the performances of the Belgian maestro.
De Bruyne did not play against United this time and that was evident. City had over 70 per cent of ball possession, but were unable to actually create something out of it, with De Bruyne’s absence all the more evident.
Midfield Does Plenty Of Work
In matches like these, the midfield always plays a big part. Its defensive role is about positioning, patience and consistency and that is what both Nemanja Matic and Fred managed to do tonight. Matic’s form has been incredible in the past two or three months and everything he does these days seems so much slicker and easier than before. Fred’s energy was always going to be useful and it was once again.
Martial Shows His Qualities
Anthony Martial’s finish on Bruno Fernandes’ assist was exquisite, even though Ederson almost managed to keep the ball out. But the ball coming over his shoulder was not an easy one and it was amazing to see the Frenchman do so well in this situation. But it is also amazing to see Martial score 15 goals in all competitions this season, stepping it up in recent weeks now that Marcus Rashford has been absent due to injury.
Martial is there to show that he can be relied upon. This was one such game he managed to show that.
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