Manchester City 4-1 Manchester United: Five talking points

Robin van Persie looks on from the stands prior to during the Barclays Premier League match between Manchester City and Manchester United at the Etihad Stadium on September 22, 2013 in Manchester, England. (Getty Images)

United missed Kagawa and Van Persie, as they lacked any real penetration

Although United started the game with two wingers and two strikers, they couldn’t penetrate the City defence and more often than not, ended up passing sideways and back rather than forward.

Even with Michael Carrick and Marouane Fellaini in the middle, they were barely able to carve out any clear cut openings for their front line to pounce on. Their full-backs, who are generally a source of attacking threat, barely crossed the halfway mark in the opening half hour, when United were penned in by City.

Although they came back into the game as it wore on, they conceded goals at crucial times and didn’t manage to bother Joe Hart too much. They missed the guile and nimbleness that came with Shinji Kagawa’s play. This defeat might well force Moyes’s hand and ensure that the Japanese playmaker is central to his future plans.