MANCHESTER, England — Manchester City were booed by their own fans, with coach Pep Guardiola chanted “You’ll be sacked in the morning” by Manchester United fans after the game. Amad DialloThe final winning goal helped Manchester United win the derby 2-1.
City have lost eight of their last 11 games, their worst record since 2003, and their title hopes are fading with each defeat. According to ESPN Research, the number of losses in this round exceeds City’s previous 106 games combined.
If GuardiolA header in the first half looked promising for City’s victory, but United missed a number of chances to equalize in the second half. but one Matthews Nunes A foul on Amad resulted in a penalty kick in the 86th minute. Bruno Fernandez equalized and Amad scored the winning goal two minutes later.
Manchester City defeat deepens Guardiola’s crisis
Manchester City are now out of crisis after suffering their eighth defeat in 11 games at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday, just days after falling 2-0 to Juventus in the Champions League in midweek. To the seventh defeat in 10 games.
City were desperate for a win to get their season back on track against Manchester United, and Gvaldiol’s first-half strike gave hope that they could end their horror run. But City struggled – without the attacking fervor and quality of Guardiola’s side who won four in a row last season – allowing United to get back into the game and win an incredible victory.
The city’s problems are obvious. They don’t have pace in key areas of the team, and key pieces on their great teams are fading fast. Kyle Walker, Kevin De Bruyne, Ilkay Gundogan and Bernardo Silva Simply unable to cope with the intensity of top-flight competition, City have lost the fear factor that earned them so much glory.
So, what’s next? Guardiola has said he is not going anywhere and only signed a new two-year contract last month. But how long can this situation last before Guardiola’s status is threatened? ——Mark Ogden
Manchester United make a comeback again and continue to improve
Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim praised the fighting spirit and spirit of his players after Thursday’s come-from-behind win over Victory Plzen in the Europa League, with the same traits on display against Manchester City.
It’s not a perfect show by any means. But just like they did in the Czech Republic, United found a way to win.
For much of the 90 minutes, United faced three consecutive Premier League defeats for the first time since 2015. Amorim is also on the verge of losing three consecutive top-flight games for the first time in his coaching career. Until Fernandez scored a penalty kick at the last minute, Amad scored the winning goal dramatically at the last minute.
Amorim is not the type to get carried away by results. He was cautious in his assessment after the 4-0 win over Everton, too balanced to believe that all his problems could be solved with a win at the Etihad Stadium. But if nothing else, it provides United with a foundation to build on.
United face a tough string of games over Christmas and New Year, including games against Tottenham Hotspur, Newcastle United, Liverpool and Arsenal. There’s still a long way to go in his Old Trafford rebuild, but winning at Manchester City is a big statement. ——Rob Dawson
Haaland’s goal drought makes things worse
Manchester City’s problems are mounting, but few are as strong as the striker Erling HaalandLost form in front of goal. The Norway international was anonymous and marked out against Manchester United. Harry Maguirehe performed well in the Amorim team.
Haaland has now scored just six league goals since the end of August – a feat that is even worse when you consider that he has only scored three goals in his last 11 league games.
Haaland contributes little to City when he’s not scoring, and opponents have discovered they can neutralize Guardiola’s side by neutralizing him.
This is now the biggest test of Haaland’s career. He must prove that he is doing more than just scoring goals while his team is flying high. ——Ogden
Amorim’s strong appeal pays dividends for United
Amorim made a huge decision by dropping back twice Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacio His gamble paid off handsomely, with Diallo making game-winning contributions in their absence.
Whenever a head coach waives a big-name player (in this case, two), he really needs the team to win to validate the decision and show the players left out that they are not indispensable. Although United needed two late goals to win the derby, Amad won a penalty, Fernandes converted the spot-kick and added a stunning winner two minutes later to change everything.
Amorim admitted before the game that both Rashford and Garnacho had trained well on Sunday morning and that his decision was not based solely on what happened on the pitch, with Amorim making it clear that Rashford and Garnacho It’s not like he’s been left out because of his recent performance.
Although neither player has performed anywhere near their level in recent weeks, they have still scored 15 goals in all competitions this season, with Garnacho becoming the team’s top scorer with eight goals . Amorim chose to leave out Rashford and Garnacho, leaving a gaping hole in his side as none of his other forwards scored as many goals.
Amorim just arrived from Sporting Lisbon last month and is still in the early stages of his career at Manchester United, where he needs to show his quality at the club as soon as possible. But with Amad making such a huge contribution, Amorim is the clear winner in his selection gamble.
According to ESPN Research, Amorim is the first Manchester United manager to win his first Manchester Derby since Alex Ferguson in 1987. ——Ogden
Injuries a setback for Manchester United
mason mountain He looked frustrated when he was forced off after just 14 minutes, and you can understand why – injuries have been an issue during his time at United. Nearly 18 months since his move from Chelsea, he has played the full 90 minutes in just one game – a 3-0 Carabao Cup defeat to Newcastle in November 2023.
Amorim has expressed his admiration for Mount, but if you’re never available, that’s okay. Amorim needs players he can rely on week in and week out. board – and Luke Shaw To that extent, we’ve been working hard to do just that. Considering how sharp Mount was in Thursday’s win over Victory Plzen, he will be even more disappointed if he discovers another problem.
Amorim’s second-half substitutions – including Mount and Rasmus Hoylund – helped change the game and what looked like an embarrassing Europa League night turned out to be a hard-earned victory.
Fernandes comforted Mount as he left Etihad Airport. Lisandro Martinez. even Phil Foden Come and make sure he’s okay. Mount can only hope that he won’t be stuck on the sidelines for too long when a few places become up for grabs in Amorim’s new United side. ——Dawson
Gvardiol’s roller coaster game
If Gvaldiol hadn’t already done so, he would now know how lucrative the Premier League can be.
For much of the derby, he looked like a hero after his first-half header gave City the lead. Then, in stoppage time, he lost Amad’s run and missed the chance to clear a scuffed shot, and City’s seemingly winning game ended in painful defeat.
It’s been a roller-coaster afternoon for Gvardiol, who has already received his fair share of criticism. The 22-year-old has been blamed for goals conceded against Tottenham Hotspur and Feyenoord. Guardiola publicly backed Gvardiol after he played a central role against Feyenoord, but still felt the need to drop him in the 2-0 loss to Liverpool at Anfield.
and Nathan Acker, Manuel Akanji and John Stones Everyone is battling injuries Rico Lewis Gvardiol was one of three defenders to make a full recovery against Manchester United following his suspension. He moved from his usual left-back position to centre-back and headed home City’s opener from Kevin De Bruyne’s cross.
Makeshift left-back Nunez was responsible for United’s equalizer but Gvaldiol did not want to see a replay of Amad’s winner. It’s been a difficult period for Gvardiol, perhaps the first truly under scrutiny since his big-money move from RB Leipzig in 2023, with the spotlight once again on him. ——Dawson
