4️⃣ TALKING POINTS AS CITY DEMOLISH UNITED

 MANCHESTER CITY 6-3 MANCHESTER UNITED

4 TALKING POINTS FROM THE MANCHESTER DERBY

-Mitansh Kagalwala

Photo Via: NBC Sport


Manchester City locked horns with city rivals United in the Manchester derby at the Etihad, in what was primed to be a fascinating contest. City have been their fabulous selves this season, while United were coming off the back of a recent uptick in form, looking to add City to their list of conquests this season. In the end, though, Manchester was blue, and emphatically so. City dominated United from the get-go, looking threatening with every spell of possession. While United did score 3, the focus will be on their back-end, where they let in 6, and probably should have let in more. Here's what we made of it: 

1.       Haaland, Haaland, Haaland: 14 goals, 8 games, 3 back-to-back hattricks. Anyone who still compares this machine to Darwin Nunez should be jailed. The Norwegian clearly turned up today aiming to take revenge on Man United for Roy Keane’s horror tackle on dad Alfe-Inge Haaland, and boy, was he up to the task. His movement in the box was exceptional, and it seems like Haaland has learned how to pass during the international break, ending with 2 assists over and above his hattrick. Insane. Someone stop him before beats football.

2.       Who could challenge City: No one. That’s the only correct answer. Arsenal may be first right now, but this City side is a juggernaut primed to roll over all of England, and if City can keep up this same form, we might as well hand over the trophy now. Every player in that City side was a level above their red counterparts on the night. Jack Grealish had his best game in a City shirt, Ilkay Gundogan and Bernardo Silva were in full flow, Kevin De Bruyne was majestic once again, while Phil Foden showed exactly why he’s one of the biggest talents in the world. Oh, and there was a certain Norwegian wreaking havoc on United’s defence. Unstoppable.

3.       Midfield Madness: Midfield problems and Manchester United just seem to go hand in hand, don’t they? United splashed the cash for Casemiro in the summer, only for Erik Ten Hag to leave him on the bench in favour of Scott Mctominay in what turned out to be a very costly decision. The midfield of Bruno Fernandes, Christian Eriksen and Mctominay never clicked against this relentless City side, leaving gaping spaces in the middle of the park for Kevin De Bruyne and co to weave their magic.

4.       Defensive frailties: It’s not often flattering when you lose by 3, but for United it definitely was today. City could and probably should have scored more: the ball somehow didn’t go in after a triple-chance and ping-pong in the box, Gundogan hit the woodwork from a free kick, and Haaland was guilty of being selfish on occasion, but eh, who can blame him? From the very outset, United were guilty of not being compact enough at the back, with City carving them apart time and time again. On top of that, United were often guilty of silly errors and putting themselves in trouble, an issue that continues to haunt them, and needs to be sorted.


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