Manchester United 1-3 Manchester City: 3 observations from the game

Manchester United hosted Manchester City for the first leg of the semifinal in the Carabao Cup on Tuesday night. The home side came into the game on the back of a draw against Wolves in the FA Cup, while the away side won their previous game against Port Vale.

The match started with Manchester City dominating possession as expected and Manchester United trying to catch them on the break. The away side took an early lead, thanks to a stunning individual goal from Bernardo Silva as he found the top corner from about 25 yards.

Before United could even regroup themselves from the setback, City scored again, this time through Riyad Mahrez, who finished his chance impeccably after he was found by Silva.

Right after that, the away side tripled their advantage after Kevin de Bruyne's shot was saved by David de Gea but the ball deflected off Andreas Pereira and found the back of the net.

It was an atrocious first-half performance from Manchester United. In the second period, the home side looked a tad bit better after Nemanja Matic came on. They scored through Marcus Rashford, who finished a move that was started by Angel Gomes and assisted by Mason Greenwood.

United tried all they could to mount a comeback but Rashford's goal turned out to be a consolation. Now, the Red Devils have their work cut out in the second leg as it is never easy to beat City in their own backyard. In this piece, we are going to take a look at the three observations from the game.

#3 Manchester United looked so much better in a 4-3-3 in the second half

Nemanja Matic brought some experience to the pitch

After a horrendous first half, where there wasn't much positive to say about Manchester United, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer brought on Nemanja Matic for Jesse Lingard and switched the formation from 4-2-3-1 to 4-3-3.

The impact it had could be seen instantly as the Red Devils were keeping the ball better and creating more chances. It was something Solskjaer should have done much earlier in the game and it seems the players are struggling to get to grips with the 4-2-3-1 formation and seem more comfortable in a three-man midfield.

Furthermore, the 4-2-3-1 doesn't work because of the lack of a proper No.10 with Jesse Lingard and Pereira failing in the role. If Solskjaer wants to continue playing that formation, he needs to bring in a creative midfielder in January or else United will almost always lose the battle in midfield, which they did against City.

#2 Jesse Lingard and Phil Jones had a night to forget

If one could single out two players who had a horrendous game against Manchester City, it would be Jesse Lingard and Phil Jones. The former has been in poor form for almost a year now and he was mostly anonymous in the game.

His first touch was horrendous on the day, which killed so many possible Manchester United counter-attacks and he was rightfully substituted at half-time. It's come to a point where one needs to ask about what does Lingard provide this team in the No.10 spot. The Englishman has had many opportunities to prove himself but it's time now that United looked past him.

As for Phil Jones, he came into the side after a long time and one thought that he would do everything to prove to Solskjaer that he is good enough to play for United. But the opposite happened as he was teared up by the City attackers.

The Englishman was rushing into almost every challenge and he didn't look composed on the ball, as well. His positioning on the day was atrocious, which also made life difficult for Victor Lindelof as he had to cover for his centre-back partner.

Jones is out of favour at United and it looks like he is destined to leave.

#1 Pep Guardiola masterclass

Pep Guardiola was the brains behind Manchester City's win

Pep Guardiola outclassed Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in terms of tactics. Pep named a starting XI with no striker as both Gabriel Jesus and Sergio Aguero were on the bench. Instead, Kevin de Bruyne started as a false nine, with Riyad Mahrez and Raheem Sterling holding the width on either sides of the field.

That turned out to be a masterstroke as De Bruyne dropped deep whenever City had possession of the ball, which meant that the away side were creating two on one situations all over the pitch, while Sterling and Mahrez were making runs in behind the United defence.

Also, because City had no one upfront, the United defenders had nobody to mark, which made them hold their position and not press too high.

Bernardo Silva and De Bruyne were given free roles in midfield, while Rodri and Ilkay Gundogan stayed deep and assisted the build-up play. City's second goal on the day was a compliment to the system they were playing in as Silva found the ball in midfield and Mahrez made a run coming inside from the left flank. Silva found Mahrez and the latter did the rest, with a lovely finish.

Guardiola learned from the last defeat they suffered against United. He knew the Red Devils will come out with a two-man midfield, so he increased the numbers in the middle of the park, which in turn enabled City to dominate the game and stop possible United counter-attacks as well. It was a proper Pep Guardiola masterclass!