Manchester City 4-1 Manchester United: Five talking points

L-R) Wayne Rooney, Michael Carrick and Danny Welbeck look dejected 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)

Rooney was fighting a lone battle

There were times during the game, when it felt like Rooney was the only player wearing the red shirt, trying to make a fist of it. Once they went 2-0 just on the stroke of half-time, their spirits went down and conceding two quick goals from the restart meant that they lost all hope of a comeback.

It says a lot about United that Rooney, a man who looked like he was leaving for London in the summer, was their best player on a day when apart from scoring with a wonderful free-kick, he also missed a few golden opportunities to score.

Their reliance on Rooney must certainly look like a worrying aspect for Moyes as he tries to build his own team.