Location: Manchester, England
Stadium: Old Trafford
Date: Saturday, January 17
Kick-off Time: 06:00 p.m. IST
Location: Manchester, England
Stadium: Old Trafford
Date: Saturday, January 17
Kick-off Time: 06:00 p.m. IST
Man Utd XI: Lammens, Dalot. Maguire, Martinez, Shaw. Mainoo. Casemiro, Amad, Fernandes, Dorgu, Mbeumo
Subs: Bayindir, Heaven, Malacia, Yoro, J.Fletcher, Mount, Ugarte, Cunha, Sesko.
Man City XI: Donnarumma, Lewis, Khusanov, Alleyne, Ake, Rodrigo, Bernardo, Semenyo, Foden, Doku, Haaland
Subs: Trafford, Bettinelli, Reijnders, Cherki, Ait-Nouri, O’Reilly, McAidoo, Mukasa, Mfuni
The Manchester derby is underway and it wastes no time finding its edge. Doku gives away an early foul, setting the tone, before United crank up the pressure straight from a corner. Bruno whips it in, Maguire powers a header from six yards, and the bar saves City. A corner follows, the crowd is already roaring, and three minutes in, this game is crackling with tension.
Diogo Dalot flies in a little too hard, the ref reaches straight for the pocket, and United’s right-back goes into the book. Early yellow, early warning, tackles are flying, tempers are bubbling, and this derby is only getting hotter.
Amad Diallo whips in a teasing cross and Bryan Mbeumo gets up well in the middle, aiming his header goalward. A City body throws itself in the way just in time. Another sharp United move, another reminder that this derby is being played at full tilt.
Nathan Aké heads it across, Max Alleyne rises in the centre, and his bullet of a header screams toward the bottom corner… but Senne Lammens stretches just in time to tip it away. United survive, but City are starting to bite back.
The fourth official signals two minutes of added time, giving both sets of fans a couple more heart-stopping moments before the break. The Red Devils have pushed hard, Cityzens are probing, and this derby is sizzling as we edge toward halftime.
The Manchester derby is locked at 0-0, but the scoreboard barely tells the story. United had two goals ruled out, the most glaring coming from Bruno Fernandes. A perfect ball over the top finds him, he coolly rounds Donnarumma, slides past a desperate challenge, and slots it home, or so it seemed. He races to celebrate, but the offside flag is up, agonisingly close with Nathan Aké barely getting caught out. Red Devils and Cityzens have served up a first half full of tension, near misses, and edge-of-your-seat action.
Nico O’Reilly goes in a bit too recklessly, and the ref doesn’t hesitate, yellow card for the Cityzen. The second half is already heating up, and tackles are flying left and right in this fiery Manchester derby.
Brilliant save!
Rico Lewis sets up Erling Haaland outside the box, and the striker fires a thunderous left-footed shot, but United throw bodies in the way to block it. Cityzens are piling on the pressure, but the Red Devils are holding firm in this sizzling Manchester derby.
A lightning-fast break sees Bruno Fernandes thread a perfect pass to Bryan Mbeumo, who calmly slots a left-footed shot into the bottom right corner. Manchester United 1, Manchester City 0 - Old Trafford erupts as the Red Devils finally break the deadlock.
Bryan Mbeumo, who just broke the deadlock, comes off to a warm round of applause, and Matheus Cunha steps on to bring fresh legs and more threat up front. United look to hold and build on their lead as the derby enters its final stretch.
Matheus Cunha flashes down the wing and whips in a perfect cross. Patrick Dorgu rises and hammers a left-footed shot into the top right corner. Manchester United 2, Manchester City 0 -- Old Trafford is rocking as the Red Devils put the Cityzens on the ropes.
Divine Mukasa tees up Rico Lewis in the centre, but his right-footed shot sails high and wide. United breathe a sigh of relief as the Red Devils hold onto their two-goal cushion deep into the derby.
The fourth official signals five minutes of added time, giving Cityzens a final window to claw back, while United fans brace for a tense finish. This Manchester derby is far from over, but the Red Devils look ready to defend their lead.
That’s a wrap on this match, but the action doesn’t stop here. You can follow our Premier League Saturday goal rush blog, where we’re covering five matches live. Bye-bye and see you on the next one.