Manchester City 1-2 Manchester United: 5 Talking Points as late comeback furthers City's collapsing season | Premier League 2024-25

Manchester City threw away a seemingly comfortable win as two late goals from Manchester United gave them a 2-1 win at the Etihad in the Premier League on Sunday, December 15. The Cityzens have won just one of their last 11 games across competitions.

Coming off a 2-0 loss at the hands of Juventus in the Champions League, Pep Guardiola made a solitary change, bringing Phil Foden in for Rico Lewis.

United, meanwhile, needed two goals from Rasmus Hojlund off the bench to rescue a win against Viktoria Plzen in the Europa League. They made three changes as Mason Mount, Harry Maguire, and Manuel Ugarte came in for Marcus Rashford, Tyrell Malacia, and Casemiro.

Manchester City dominated possession early on but were unable to cause any trouble to Andre Onana. However, the pressure paid off in the 36th minute as Kevin De Bruyne's cross took a slight deflection before Josko Gvardiol headed home to open the scoring.

Manchester United were barely able to create chances. They enjoyed a few spells of possession in the second period but couldn't cause any issues for Ederson.

However, a quick late turnaround saw the visitors take the lead. Matheus Nunes' terrible backpass was intercepted by Amad Diallo and the City man came back to concede a penalty, which was coolly put away by Bruno Fernandes (88').

Seconds after the restart, Lisandro Martinez picked Diallo out with a long ball. The winger took a touch to go around Ederson before finding the back of the net to make it 2-1.

The result sees Manchester City's horrendous run of form continue. Manchester United, meanwhile, will hope to string a few wins together off the back of this big result. Here are five talking points from the match:

Manchester City vs Manchester United Talking Points

#5. Early surprise from Ruben Amorim

Manchester United fans will have been surprised to note that Ruben Amorim dropped both Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho from the matchday squad entirely. Mason Mount and Amad Diallo started behind Rasmus Hojlund, with Kobbie Mainoo chosen to replace the former after his injury. The Portuguese boss insisted that it was a tactical decision to leave the pair out, raising some eyebrows.

#4. Set-pieces continue to trouble Manchester United

Another goal from a corner highlights a major issue that needs fixing for the Red Devils. Gvardiol's goal means they have now let in eight this season from such situations in the Premier League, second-highest in the league behind Wolves.

#3. Kyle Walker and Rasmus Hojlund's heated incident

Just after Manchester City opened the scoring, a face-off between the side's captain and Rasmus Hojlund almost marred the game. Following a needless push from the defender, Hojlund stepped up to him and Walker took a dive. The pair were handed yellow cards apiece, but the conduct of the hosts' captain was certainly something to forget.

#2. Manchester City fall apart late on yet again

Guardiola's side have found some issues closing games, highlighted by squandering a three-goal advantage to Feyenoord in the last 15 minutes. It occurred again against United, conceding twice in the space of two minutes to succumb to another loss.

#1. A stepping stone for Manchester United to revive their season?

The arrival of new manager Ruben Amorim combined with this big result could be just what Manchester United need to overcome their poor start to the campaign. While they still remain in the bottom half, they are just three points off Aston Villa in sixth and will be looking to rise up the league table quickly.