Manuel Ugarte will never forget his first-ever Manchester derby.
Manchester United travelled to the Etihad as underdogs before stunning Manchester City with a comeback win late in the second half.
Pep Guardiola’s side have won just one in their last 11 matches, so Sunday’s result simply added fuel to the fire. It was a relief to see Ruben Amorim claim United’s first win at the Etihad since 2021, but sadly the Reds remain in the bottom half of the Premier League table following a poor start to the campaign.
The derby was a chance for United players to prove their worth to Ruben Amorim in a big game. The likes of Amad Diallo and Harry Maguire did exactly that, with the former scoring United’s late winner only to send Andre Onana into the away end for celebrations.
It was a result that required a strong performance from key players and Amorim made bold decisions ahead of kick-off, including a call that involved dropping both Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho.
Manuel Ugarte enjoys best performance yet
A new head coach means a clean slate for every player in the squad. They all get a chance to impress the new man, otherwise they won’t be part of his plans for the future.
Ugarte was regularly overlooked by Erik ten Hag, especially after the 3-0 home defeat to Tottenham Hotspur when he was outwitted by James Maddison. He wouldn’t start any of the Dutchman’s final three league matches as a result.
Ruud van Nistelrooy brought Ugarte back into the team as interim manager, but his impact on the team has grown under Amorim. That showed in the Manchester derby when he had his best game yet for the Reds.
Speaking to The National after the derby, Ugarte reflected on how he felt and listed five reasons why he will never forget his first win in a Manchester derby.
“All good, very content, very happy,” Ugarte said.
“An incredible feeling when the second goal was scored. For the goal, the celebration, the game, the victory, for us and for the happiness of the fans.”
Manchester United were optimistic ahead of derby
After a display like that, Ugarte has every right to be proud of himself.
Now it’s about building on that in the next game and beyond.
Ugarte was asked if it was his best game for United so far. He replied: “I think so. It was a beautiful game and when you consider who it was against, I am happy with how it went. We were confident before the game, optimistic.
“But I just think forward and to the next game on Thursday [at Tottenham].”
City’s poor form going into the derby gave United reason to be optimistic. As did United’s FA Cup triumph over City back in May.
Not only did United get the job done, they deserved three points after putting up a fight to City.
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