Twitter explodes as Manchester City ease past helpless Cristiano Ronaldo and Manchester United

Premier League champions Manchester City cruised to a comfortable 2-0 win over Manchester United in Cristiano Ronaldo's first derby since returning to Old Trafford. The Portuguese forward was left helpless while leading a toothless Manchester United attack as the visitors produced a rampant first-half display.

Pep Guardiola's men broke the deadlock as early as the seventh minute after Joao Cancelo slipped in behind on the left flank. The full-back, who has been in imperious form recently, flashed a cross into the penalty area before Eric Bailly unfortunately turned the ball into his own net.

The Ivorian defender rushed in to try and defend the cross, but the ball deflected off his outstretched feet, leaving David de Gea with no chance of keeping it out. It was possibly the worst start to the game for Manchester United and a sign of things to come.

Cristiano Ronaldo forced a good save from Ederson before the half-hour mark with a perfectly executed first-time volley. But it was as close as Manchester United got to finding the back of the net. Shortly thereafter, De Gea produced a stunning close-range save to deny Gabriel Jesus.

The Spanish custodian followed it up with excellent saves to prevent Victor Lindelof from repeating what Bailly did early on. De Gea also denied both Kevin De Bruyne and Cancelo, keeping Manchester United alive.

However, Manchester City eventually doubled their advantage after a lapse in judgment by De Gea and Luke Shaw. Cancelo pinged the ball into the path of Bernardo Silva, who showed heart and desire to poke the ball into the back of the net with his outstretched leg.

In all fairness, De Gea should have been more alert and was quite comically beaten at his near post. To be fair to him, Shaw completely switched off to the threat of Silva as well, with both Manchester United players probably underestimating the Portuguese's ability to even reach the ball.

Cristiano Ronaldo was an isolated figure in the second half as Manchester United succumbed to defeat

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer responded after the break by reverting to a back-four and introducing Jadon Sancho. It did not ruffle any Manchester City feathers though, as the noisy neighbors maintained their supremacy to leave Cristiano Ronaldo and Manchester United helpless.

Following the win, Manchester City climbed to second in the Premier League table. Manchester United, meanwhile, slipped to fifth place. In the wake of Cristiano Ronaldo and Manchester United failing to make an impression in the derby, Twitter exploded with reactions from all corners: