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Blue moon sets as Reds rise at Old Trafford

Manchester City came into this fixture hoping for a sixth successive league win over arch rivals Manchester United. The Reds on the other hand wanted to end their derby jinx and claim the bragging rights. The game reflected that very well with an electric start to the match, befitting one of the biggest derbies in the country. Both teams started with confidence but Man City managed to dominate the early stages of the game. They started with James Milner playing centrally and David Silva on the left hand side, which worked out quite well for the first 10 minutes. With the constant pressing, it took Man City just about three minutes to score the first goal through Sergio Agüero. The move started with Gaël Clichy driving forward finding Milner, who found enough space to pass to David Silva enabling him to set it up perfectly for Agüero. Having had a bad spell in the league lately, Sergio Agüero needed this goal for his confidence and scoring the opening goal in the Manchester derby was the perfect occasion to end his five games goal drought.

After conceding their first goal, Manchester United responded very well. They played with high tempo with Carrick dropping back to provide an extra cover to the back four while Fellaini kept towering forward, cracking Man City’s defense. The rampant display lead to an equalizer in the 13th minute through Ashley Young. Ander Herrera’s cross into the box found Young who finished from close range, raising the atmosphere in the stadium.

The Reds were in control of the game for the majority of the first half and the City goal didn’t seem to affect their confidence and ambition to win the derby, come what may. Man City’s full backs were having a difficult time to cope up with the continued pressure. Gaël Clichy was booked for a foul on Ashley Young in the 13th minute and that proved to be costly as it was the free kick that lead to the build up for the equalizer.

Man Utd kept attacking and Ashley Young was the central figure yet again. Relentless in their approach, Man Utd finally took the lead in the 27th minute. Combining with Delay Blind, Ashley Young found Fellaini in the box with a beautiful cross that was perfect for the Belgian to put in the back of the net. Perhaps Gaël Clichy was just a mismatch against Fellaini, who had kept both City full backs on toes for the entire game.

Manchester City started to lose their concentration after conceding the second goal. David Silva got booked for a foul on Mata while Vincent Kompany got a yellow, for what could have been a sending off on any other day. Mark Clattenburg consulted his officials before making his decision and even though it looked reckless, the officials kept the game alive by not sending Kompany off.

Man City created some chances before the end of the first half but failed to capitalize. The first one came in the 39th minute with James Milner in open space firing high above the bar. The second chance came in the 43rd minute but was killed by Sergio Agüero’s poor first touch and good pressure by Valencia. The first half ended with the home side leading 2-1 and a well deserved lead.

Man City started the second half without their captain, Vincent Kompany, as the Belgian was subbed off for Mangala. Yaya Toure played a slightly different role in the second half, dropping deeper to close down Fellaini. In the 63rd minute, Pellegrini decided to make his second change as James Milner was subbed off for Samir Nasri, in an attempt to try and get something out of the game. Milner had been caught by Jones but the change seemed more tactical. Immediately after coming on, Samir Nasri played on the left while David Silva moved central.

The changes, however, did not seem to affect Man Utd’s game plan as Juan Mata scored Manchester United’s 3rd goal after Rooney combined with Blind to pass to the Spaniard, who continued his fine form with a fine finish. He did appear to be offside but at that stage it didn’t look like Man City could have stopped the hosts from scoring goals.

Being two goals down at Old Trafford is the worst nightmare for a manager and it got worse minutes later when Smalling scored from a set piece. Agüero scored a late consolation goal but it was too little, too late. Manchester United won their 70th Manchester derby, possibly pushing Man City out of the title race while edging closer to Arsenal, who remain just one point ahead.

In his post match press conference, Man Utd manager Louis Van Gaal said that he is happy for the fans as they can walk through the streets without being embarrassed. Manchester United have now lost only two league games at home this season and it looks like Louis Van Gaal has finally found his strongest XI.

Key stats:

Possession:
– Man Utd: 58%
– Man City: 42%

Total shots:
– Man Utd: 11
– Man City: 10

Shots on target:
– Man Utd: 7
– Man City: 3

Total passes:
– Man Utd: 540
– Man City: 383

Pass accuracy:
– Man Utd: 82%
– Man City: 70%

Premier League top 6 as it stands:

1. Chelsea: 73
2. Arsenal: 66
3. Man Utd: 65
4. Man City: 61
5. Southampton: 56
6. Tottenham: 54

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