Smalling's 69th-minute winner ensured that United beat all of their top six rivals at least once in the league
#2 No parking the bus after equaliser
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There was no parking of the bus from Mourinho
Jose Mourinho's Manchester United might have made a name for themselves for their defensive stability but their will to attack has been found missing on many occasions.
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After Kompany had thumped a Leroy Sane cross into David de Gea's goal in the 25th minute and six minutes later, Gundogan doubled City's lead through a sublime finish, where he rounded off Matic before slotting the ball in the bottom corner, Manchester City were marching on to the Premier League title.
However, a spirited start to the second half saw them get two goals in quick succession. In such situations, one would expect a Mourinho side to shut shop after getting the equaliser, more so in a match of such magnitude where a draw would still have spoiled City's party and extended their wait for the PL title.
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However, there was no parking of the bus from Mourinho. Even after Pogba and United's second goal, the players from the Red half of Manchester kept their tempo up. Their momentum and the will to keep the ball for longer durations than you'd expect from them frustrated the City players, who gave away as many as 17 fouls and were shown six yellow cards.
One of those fouls ended up costing the hosts as Sanchez delivered in a free-kick from the left which Smalling met unchallenged and turned it into the net.
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About the author
Sankalp Srivastava
Sankalp is a veteran European and international football writer at Sportskeeda. He has a total experience of 8 years, having previously worked for some top companies such as Wisden India and Fox Sports Asia. An engineer by qualification, Sankalp places a very high emphasis on accuracy by leaving no stone unturned in his research, and prides himself on showcasing the human aspect of the sporting world.
Sankalp has had the privilege of interviewing senior Indian cricketers such as Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Bhuvaneshwar Kumar and Chris Woakes in his experience so far. He has also covered various Indian and international matches, such as the 2019 ICC ODI World Cup when working for FOX.
Sankalp started following football after watching the 2002 FIFA World Cup with his family. He is a die-hard Manchester United supporter, who started following the club due to David Beckham. His favorite manager is Sir Alex Ferguson and favorite player is Lionel Messi, both for setting unattainable benchmarks. He considers Barcelona’s incredible 6-1 second leg comeback win in the 2016-17 UCL against Paris Saint-Germain as one of the most iconic matches ever.
Along with European football, Sankalp also follows the Indian Super League. When not writing, Sankalp enjoys traveling and watching sports.