3 Reasons Why Manchester United lost to Manchester City

Commentator for the day in the 177 Manchester Derby alongside the legendary Peter Dury, Jim Beglin went on to say seconds before kick-off “Blue is dominant but Red might have a twist”. This comes after the fact that the last time the two Manchester giants met at the Etihad Stadium, it ended 3-2 in favour of Jose Mourinho and the red side of Manchester, despite Pep Guardiola and his men leading for the major part of the game.

It showed, that despite all the critics and their issues last season (which were comparatively fewer), Mourinho and Manchester United had a team to beat England’s best side and come back from the depths of hell at 2-0 down. But this season hasn’t exactly gone to plan with the likes of Chelsea, Liverpool and the reigning Champions dominating the Premier League.

That combined with Manchester United’s issues within the club have simply made things worse and while they’ve settled matters, for now, it was always going to Pep Guardiola’s game. Anthony Martial’s penalty did instil some hope into the away side, but substitute Ilkay Gundogan’s poke in from inside the box finished the game for the home side.

In the end, Manchester City and Pep Guardiola had their win, which keeps them in pole position going into the November international break. Not only that, it gives them a 12 point lead over their nearest and oldest rivials and two points over Liverpool.

Here are three reasons why Manchester United lost the Manchester Derby.

#3 Only Anthony Martial is scoring

Manchester City v Manchester United - Premier League

Anthony Martial is in incredible form and there is not much else to say. Much was expected of the 22-year-old when he arrived for a then record-breaking fee for a teenager from Monaco and while he scored the goal of his season on his debut, things haven’t gone exactly according to plan since then for the Frenchman. Left out of Didier Deschamps’ World Cup winning squad, the last few weeks has seen Martial once again return to his very best.

With five goals in his last five Premier League appearances, Martial has entered an elite list alongside the likes of Ruud Van Nistelrooy, Eric Cantona, Robin van Persie, Dwight Yorke, Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney. Going forward, however, will be key for the Frenchman, especially after the international break. Given the next few fixtures will be key for Manchester United, Martial himself and of-course Jose Mourinho.

They play Crystal Palace their first game after the break, a crucial Champions League clash against Young Boys, relegation-threatened Southampton, Arsenal and Fulham. All five are key games both in the Premier League and the Champions League, but this could be Martial’s chance to prove himself and show that he still has the ability to be among the best for the Red Devils.

#2 Picking Ander Herrera was a bad decision

Ander Herrera has his moments of absolute brilliance but he also has the moments that have fans and even Mourinho himself irritated with the Spaniard. His man-marking of Eden Hazard last season will have fans lovingly remember him even after his Red Devil career is over and given the way he played today, it’s certainly arriving very soon.

With no Paul Pogba and Marouane Fellaini in alongside Nemanja Matic and Herrera, many expected the box-to-box midfielder to help make up for the lack of creativity going forward. Not only that, Herrera’s defensive acumen was something that would definitely help against the likes of David Silva, Bernardo Silva, Raheem Sterling and the other creative men in blue. But while on paper it was a sensible move, on the field it looked like a horror show.

The 29-year-old really struggled and was constantly misplacing passes or getting caught out in position, having to be bailed out by the back four or his midfield partners multiple times. What made things worse for United, was the fact that Herrera simply made things worse and offered next to nothing in easily one of the toughest games the Red Devils may play this season.

Things could have been much worse for both the midfielder and Manchester United, but Jose Mourinho opted to put him out of his misery in the 72nd minute. Herrera is running down his contract and has a little over seven months left on his current deal with no extension in the foreseeable future being offered by the club. However, with Mourinho fighting to keep him, a performance like this does nobody any good.

#1 Ederson’s distribution had them reeling

Ederson is the goal-keeper that Pep Guardiola has always searched for, especially after being “burdened” with Joe Hart and Claudio Bravo in his opening seasons with Manchester City. After having the luxury of picking Manuel Neuer in nearly every game for Bayern Munich, coming to the Premier League without a keeper like the German made things difficult for Guardiola.

However, season 2 and in walked the former Benfica man Ederson, a Brazilian star who had excellent reflexes but also was exceptional with his feet. That was something that neither Joe Hart or Claudio Bravo had according to Guardiola and with Ederson between the sticks, Manchester City won the title in season 2. But what made things worse for oppositions, was the Brazilian’s goal-kicks and they are very lethal.

The 25-year-old holds a Guinness World Record for the longest drop-kick at an incredible 75.35 meters and while the length is certainly important, it’s accuracy that matters more and Morales hand-delivers them. It was one of the many reasons why Manchester United struggled against City, as they struggled to handle Ederson and his stunning distribution, making things that much easier for Manchester City’s front men.

However, Ederson’s one fault is his impetuousness, like Liverpool’s Alisson and for the second game in a row, it leads to a spot kick. This provoked hopes of a potential comeback after Martial converted it but that was soon shut down. Going forward, Pep Guardiola will have to give his Brazilian star a stern talking to and make sure that he calms down.

Edited by Sripad