Manchester United suffered their fifth Premier League defeat of the season after losing 3-0 to our local rivals Manchester City. It makes it one win in the last three seasons over Pep Guardiola’s side, who comfortably claimed all three points as United’s struggle for form continues.
The Reds had won the previous three ahead of this game, which gave fans a bit of confidence going into the Manchester Derby. However, the performance outlined that United are long way off from challenging for the title and it is now an uphill battle to compete for a top four place. The disappointing result came on the day that we paid tribute again to the late Sir Bobby Charlton with former teammates and opponents paying their respects during a minute’s applause at Old Trafford.
Onana kept United in the game first half
The first chance of the game came in the first ten minutes when Andre Onana saved an Erling Haaland effort from close range. The ball was then cleared off the line by Harry Maguire.
Manchester City took the lead through an Erling Haaland penalty in the 26th minute. This had come about after a VAR check that saw a soft pull by Rasmus Højlund on Rodri inside the box. United who had made a decent start felt frustrated by the decision.
Hojlund tried to make up for his mistake when in the 31st he got in behind the City defence and then pass Ederson. However, his heavy touch meant he went wide before cutting it back for Bruno Fernandes who fired the ball over from a tight angle.
Tempers began to flare as we reached half time as Sofyan Ambrat and Phil Foden both picked up yellow cards for clashing with each other.
Scott McTominay had the best moment of the half for United as his effort on goal was denied by Ederson. Then at the other end of the pitch, it was the turn of Andre Onana as he again denied Haaland from a point blank range header.
City dominant as United have no answer
The second half saw City pick up where they left off. The same opportunity presented itself for Haaland who was not going to miss twice as his header in the 49th minute made it two for the visitors. Bernamdo Silva found Haaland with lots of space inside the box but Onana was unable to stop it hitting the back of the net.
The opposition continued to dominate the game with their possession. United had brought on Mason Mount for Sofyan Amrabat at half time but this did not have any effect.
Marcus Rashford found himself with an excellent opportunity to reduce the deficit in the 69th minute. Christian Eriksen hit a ball over the top of the City defence but Rashford couldn’t get the ball under the feet with his effort going wide of the goal.
City then had the opportunity to make it three when Haaland was played through but Onana came out and diverted the striker’s chip for a corner.
Boos erupted when Ten Hag decided to bring off Rasmus Højlund who is yet to score a Premier League goal. United continued to struggle as they lacked the fight and belief to make a comeback.
The nail in the coffin for the Reds was confirmed in the 80th minute when Onana parried Rodri’s effort into the path of Erling Haaland on the right, who put the ball back across the box for Phil Foden to make it three.
The goal felt inevitable given Ten Hag’s decision to leave Jonny Evans on and replace Victor Lindelof with Sergio Reguilon, the only left back available who should have started the game.
The defeat is disappointing and maybe you could say it was somewhat predictable. Pressure is starting to grow to get results but also show some good performances. The football has not been great since the start of the season. The run of fixtures is only going to increase as we had towards the Christmas period. This could be a bumpy ride for us United fans.
United are in eighth place with 15 points from their first ten league games. Our focus now turns to the defence of the League Cup on Wednesday evening as we take on Newcastle United.
Ten Hag’s tactics and substitutions didn’t work
Ten Hag decided to pair Jonny Evans alongside Harry Maguire in the heart of the defence. The Dutchman said before the game that this was tactical but it was a decision he got wrong. Victor Lindelof who was at left back and United found themselves struggling down the wide area that City exploited. To start the Manchester Derby with a back four of Dalot, Evans, Maguire and Lindelof was a huge risk that ultimately didn’t pay off.
The substitution of Sofyan Amrabat for Mason Mount at half time also didn’t work out. It was the second time that the Moroccan only had 45 minutes. Against Copenhagen, the substitution worked out.
It saw McTominay move back into the midfield alongside Eriksen. However, with no defensive midfielder it proved costly for the Reds.
Ten Hag still has a lot of credit in the bank given his good first season at the club. This season has seen a downturn. Five defeats from the first ten Premier League is not good form. Questions are being asked about the Dutchman in terms of tactics and signings but we are a tough period and he needs to be given that time to turn it around.
Rashford needs to be dropped
Rashford is a player looking bereft of confidence and it clearly shows on the pitch. Last season, his 30 goals saw his confidence at a high level. However, we can see that he is back at the levels he was showing during the 2021/22 season, which is not a good sign.
A clear example during the game against City when he was played in by Eriksen that he pulled his effort wide. At the moment, with only one goal so far this season you just wonder when his next goal is going to come.