At 3-0 down with ten minutes left, and the anticipated humiliation unfolding, one of the many Manchester United fans trudging angrily towards the exits shouted at the directors’ box: “Sort it f***ing out.”
Their club is in a mess. United owe £1 billion. Their players owe their fans a performance. But who can stop the rot in England’s biggest club? Because of the Glazers’ desire to have some residual control, any takeover is tainted by association.
And, anyway, where to start trying to “sort it out”? United are leaderless on and off the field. City had a warrior of a captain in Kyle Walker. United had an argument on legs in Bruno Fernandes. He has to get a grip of his temper and get a grip of games.
The most damaging charge that can be laid against Fernandes and his side, and there was a long litany of flaws and lapses for the prosecution to consider, is that Walker and his team wanted this more.
Fernandes was embarrassed by Jeremy Doku, who left him spinning on the grass two minutes into added time, and was then booked for dissent, perhaps naively believing that fans will mistake shouting for responsibility-taking. And then look at Walker, again outstanding. In the 64th minute, Walker rose for a ball with so much greater determination than Marcus Rashford that it was almost embarrassing.
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And then take events in the following minute. Pep Guardiola stood on the touchline, loudly claiming some handball offence. Leading 2-0, his players leading United a merry dance, and still Guardiola was fighting for every decision just as his players fought harder for every ball than United did. City’s will to win stems from manager to captain to all the players.
The smallest player on the field, Bernardo Silva, was the one who stood tallest, creating chances and havoc, and was named man of the match by Gary Neville, who understands the character required in the Manchester derby.
In a scrap for neighbourly pride, the very least that United fans expect of their players is commitment. André Onana, Harry Maguire, Jonny Evans, Scott McTominay and Rasmus Hojlund did look like they understood it mattered. But others? Rashford has lost his way and his confidence. Sofyan Amrabat runs around a lot while being given the runaround. He was withdrawn at half-time.
City were superior to United in game plan, leadership, movement, pressing, passing and finishing, superior in quality of personnel and quantity of talent. The only thing they have in common is a first name. The scoreline lied. It should have been more, it should have been four. It could have been five, six or seven. United were certainly at sixes and sevens.
City’s appetite was seen in Erling Haaland’s hunger for goals, and he looked frustrated to finish with only two; and it was there in Guardiola marching on at the final whistle to do some coaching with Haaland. Never rest.
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Another indictment of United was in their recruitment. Antony was deemed not good enough to start, eventually coming on, and could have been sent off for kicking Doku. Another expensive signing, Mason Mount, also arrived to little effect. Erik ten Hag’s choices are coming under ever harsher scrutiny.
Further indictment came with the reality that none of Ten Hag’s players would get into Guardiola’s team and few, if any, of his outfield players would get on to City’s bench. He was also booed briefly when withdrawing Hojlund with 17 minutes left.
United fans had earlier been joined by their City counterparts in doing the memory of the late, great Sir Bobby Charlton proud. A huge “Sir Bobby” mural adorned the Sir Alex Ferguson stand. A banner pulled across the Stretford End celebrated “the finest English footballer the world has ever seen”.
Three times applause broke out for Charlton, and three times the City fans were heavily involved, showing their respect. Legends of Manchester football walked, slowly, to the centre circle, Paddy Crerand, Mike Summerbee, John Aston Jr, Alex Stepney and finally Brian Kidd. Behind them, a United scarf was gently laid on Sir Bobby’s seat in the directors’ box.
United actually started promisingly but then City took control. Onana saved left-handed from Phil Foden, then right-handed from Haaland’s follow-up. The pressure told after 26 minutes. The VAR, Michael Oliver, alerted Paul Tierney to Hojlund pulling back Rodri as everyone tussled in United’s box. It was hardly the most aggressive of offences, hardly uncommon in such set-piece skirmishes, and Rodri certainly milked the light contact. But Hojlund had stopped him reaching the ball, just as Maguire was making sure John Stones also got nowhere near.
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As the senior official, Oliver’s recommendation to consult the monitor was never going to be declined by Tierney. Onana tried to put Haaland off and was duly booked. The Stretford End tried to unnerve the Norwegian with a chant of “Haaland, Haaland, how’s your dad?”, recalling Alfie’s painful meeting with Roy Keane here in 2001. “Keano, Keano,” they added. Haaland stayed calm and focused, sent Onana the wrong way and smiled at the Keane choirs.
Hojlund could have made amends when then running through on goal. He could have gone down under pressure from Stones but stayed honest, and stayed on his feet. Ederson came sliding out and Hojlund could have continued his run, engineering the contact with the legs of the City ’keeper and winning a penalty. But again he stayed honest, carried on, went wide, and the moment was lost. Hojlund’s honesty was admirable — and rare in modern football. Whether Hojlund’s United team-mates were so admiring of his upright nature is another matter.
Rashford briefly gave a glimpse of his quality as the half closed, lifting the ball in from the right for McTominay to muscle his way ahead of Walker but Ederson’s strong left hand denied him.
It was a rare riposte. Haaland had his second, four minutes after the restart. Walker started the move, Rodri and Julián Álvarez took it on before Jack Grealish, back in form, released the overlapping Silva. Haaland unmarked at the far post applied a simple header.
Old Trafford threatened to turn toxic when Ten Hag took off Hojlund. It felt a sign of surrender, an affront to United’s old traditions of never giving up. The Treble winners were the momentum men, adding a third with ten minutes remaining. When Onana saved from Rodri, Haaland selflessly stroked the ball across for Foden to score. One of City’s analysts in the press box celebrated wildly but the game had long been over as a contest. City were just too good.
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Manchester United (4-2-3-1): A Onana 8 — D Dalot 5, H Maguire 6, J Evans 6, V Lindelof 5 (S Reguilon 73min) — C Eriksen 5 (Antony 86), S Amrabat 6 (M Mount 45, 5) — B Fernandes 6, S McTominay 7, M Rashford 6 (A Martial 86) — R Hojlund 6 (A Garnacho 73). Booked Onana, Amrabat, Antony, Fernandes.
Manchester City (4-1-4-1): Ederson 7 — K Walker 7, J Stones 7, R Dias 7, J Gvardiol 6 — Rodri 7 — P Foden 7, J Álvarez 7 (M Kovacic 87), B Silva 9, J Grealish 8 (Doku 87) — E Haaland 7. Booked Foden.
Referee P Tierney. Attendance 73,502.
