Ruben Amorim’s first Manchester Derby was the stuff of dreams as Man United completed a late comeback at the Etihad Stadium to win 2-1.
United started well, putting City under pressure by pressing coherently and collectively which didn’t allow Guardiola’s men to make a fast start.
The game slowly settled into a theme of City’s possession but United defended resolutely and if not for some offside runs, threatened on transitions too.
That spell of frustration was broken via another set-piece, this time Kevin de Bruyne’s cross looping off Amad straight at Gvardiol who headed past Onana in a stroke of bad luck.
United had defended well but their inability to be effective in attack saw them go into half-time trailing 1-0.
It was more of the same in the second half but United did improve slightly in possession, almost bossing it in stages but the penetration was missing.
Then, in the 85th minute, as luck helped City get their goal, City gifted United theirs as Nunes’ backpass was latched onto by Amad. With the goalkeeper in no man’s land, Nunes wiped out Amad to give United a penalty.
Just when United thought they had gotten away with a single point, Amad made it all three with a brilliant finish in added time to complete a wild comeback.
Here’s how the players rated:
Andre Onana – 6
No glaring mistakes outside of a misplaced clearance near the beginning. Couldn’t do anything to prevent the goal.
Harry Maguire – 8
Probably came in to specifically dominate the physical duel with Haaland and performed that job to perfection. A tactical masterstroke by Amorim paying off massively.
Matthijs de Ligt – 7
Received good help from Maguire in dealing with a mobile forward line and made some crucial interceptions to kill off attacks.
Lisandro Martinez – 6
Was challenged in the air multiple times but came through it successfully. Could be a bit more confident in possession.
Diogo Dalot – 4
Dalot’s nightmare form continued here as he fluffed numerous opportunities when presented with the ball in the final third. Couldn’t make use of the freedom Amorim gave him which Mazraoui didn’t have.
Noussair Mazraoui – 7
Had the thankless task of not only playing in his unnatural position (again), but lining up against a livewire in Jeremy Doku. Considering those circumstances, he did admirably even if he had some sloppy moments.
Bruno Fernandes – 7
Worked hard off the ball and kept calm on it. Set the tone for the rest of the team by running hard and with purpose. The miss in the second half which could have drawn United level would have haunted him but he atoned for it with his successful penalty kick.
Manuel Ugarte – 8
Continued his ascent into one of United’s most reliable players and arguably an untouchable. Energetic again and combined it with slick composure on the ball to break City’s press a couple of times.
Amad – 8
Repeatedly running offside when staying on would have given him the one-on-one opportunity to finish. Much more improved in the second half and was the architect of both goals. A bonafide star now.
Mason Mount – N/A
Another injury within the first 15 forced him off.
Rasmus Hojlund – 5
Had a mixed bag with the limited hold-up opportunities he had and got stuck in to get a flavour of the derby.
Substitutes
Kobbie Mainoo – 6.5
Called into action unexpectedly due to Mount’s injury and did well in what was effectively a start instead of a bench appearance.
Antony – 6.5
Built on his nice cameo vs Plzen as the wing-back with another encouraging outing here in the same position.
Leny Yoro – 6
Got a taste of the derby action but no standout moments in attack or defence.
Joshua Zirkzee – 6
Not much impact.
Victor Lindelof – 6
Came on late to shore up the defensive numbers as United protected their lead.
Manager
Ruben Amorim – 8
These are the kind of games where the manager shows he’s building something for the long term regardless of immediate results and how that was shown here! Made big calls, all of which paid off, and the team was rewarded for their efforts. Would have been a harsh loss, ended up being a wild win.
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