The Manchester derby: A consolation and an irritation

For the time being, the city of Manchester remains blue. Manchester United played host for the year’s first Manchester Derby that went the way of the defending champions, Manchester City. A mere consolation it may prove to be for the Citizens in the grander scheme of things but for United, it only prolongs their wait for that coveted prize that could put them on a whole new echelon in British football.

While the first half had its fair share of runs, flicks, tricks and fouls, what it failed to provide was the final touch that would make a change for either side on the scoreboard. The first five minutes saw some end to end football from both sides but all the attacks lacked that touch of finesse at the end that would lead to a goal. Dutch hitman Robin van Persie created the first decent chance of the match but fired his shot wide from an angle that didn’t help his cause. United resorted to a counter attacking stance against their fierce rivals who came into this match with a positive attitude that helped them to create chances that they failed to put away.

Mancini’s men, who came into this fixture with the best defensive record in the division, pressed for most of the first half while United were happy to sit back, defend and release the ball through the flanks whenever possible in an otherwise disappointing first half. While Rooney, Kompany and Silva made their way into the referee’s book, the best chance of the half fell to United fullback Rafael Da Silva when he found his flick from 6 yards ricochet off the right hand post.

The second half brought life to the match in the 51st minute when Gareth Barry showed a little more drive to move away from Rafael before finding a pass to Nasri. The Frenchman, finding himself blocked, resorted to poking it to Milner who drove the ball into the bottom right hand corner with enough conviction to signal that City were still going to cling onto the possibility of bragging rights. The lead, however was not to last for long as United equalized through an own goal from Belgian international and City skipper Vincent Kompany just seconds before the hour mark. Robin van Persie’s free kick from the edge of the City penalty area found its way into the back of the net after touches from Phil Jones and Kompany respectively.

The turning point of the match came with the introduction of the man who had orchestrated the charge to take the title from under United’s nose on the last day of the season last year. United fans greeted Sergio Aguero with jeers but it was the Argentine who had the last laugh as he tipped the match in favour of City when he scored what was almost a mirror image of the goal that won them their first title in 44 years last season. Though it was nothing less in terms quality, that finish into the roof of the United net after a lung bursting 33 yard run may not be as significant as its predecessor. United, still with a 12 point advantage, will only have to extend their wait for their 20th league title, and they may seal the deal on the 28th of this month when they take on Arsenal at the Emirates.