With Pep Guardiola getting the upper hand in the Manchester derby we look at the five big talking points from Manchester City’s win.
Manchester City left Old Trafford with all three points after beating Manchester United 2-1 in the Premier League on Saturday.
The game was won in the first half, thanks to goals from Kevin De Bruyne and Kelechi Iheanacho, with Zlatan Ibrahimovic offering United hope in making a comeback thanks to his goal after a mistake from debutant Claudio Bravo.
Pep Guardiola’s side dominated the opening half and demonstrated why they are considered title challengers, but it was United who looked to take the game to City in the second half, as Jose Mourinho’s side went in search of the elusive equaliser that they just could not find.
With Guardiola’s side now with their 100% start to the season still in tact, we take a look at the five things we learned from City’s win over their fierce rivals.
De Bruyne caused havoc and is showing Mourinho he was wrong
In the first half of the game De Bruyne ran the show for City and was involved in everything that they did, as was evident in his opening goal and the part he played in being the provider of Iheanacho’s goal on 36 minutes.
Throughout the opening 45 minutes the Belgium midfielder was creative and caused havoc at every given opportunity, and the freedom he was given by United’s defence allowed him to show just how much he can damage sides that fail to deal with his movement and creativity.
Deemed not good enough to carve out a place under Mourinho when at Chelsea, the midfielder came back to haunt the Portuguese manager in such a way that every time he had the ball at his feet, you feared for the United back line.
Bravo may not be the answer Guardiola is looking for
Against United, Joe Hart’s replacement at the Etihad Stadium, Claudio Bravo, was making his debut in what was always going to be a tough place, and he left undoubtedly feeling that things could have gone better.
The goalkeeper was not only at fault for the goal, making an awful error in coming for a ball that he never claimed, allowing Ibrahimovic to pull a goal back for United, but was also lucky to stay on the field, making a reckless lunge on Wayne Rooney when he tried to do too much in his own area and mis-controlled the ball, allowing the England captain an opportunity to pounce.
Bravo may not be the answer that Guardiola is looking for.
City were breathtaking at times
At times, particularly in the first half, Guardiola’s City side were breathtaking, pulling United from pillar to post at every opportunity.
The star of the show was undoubtedly De Bruyne, but with a supporting cast of David Silva, Raheem Sterling and Iheanacho, it was a joy to watch, thanks in part to the tempo they played at.
Depth of attacking options
Guardiola showed the full extent of the attacking options at his disposal at City, with the attacking positions given to De Bruyne, Sterling, Silva and Iheanacho.
While the inclusion of Iheanacho was forced upon the Spaniard, due to Sergio Aguero’s suspension for violent conduct, the City manager still had Leroy Sane on the bench, and could call upon the German midfielder in the second half.
But Iheanacho lead the line impressively and will leave Guardiola in no doubt about his ability to shine in Aguero’s absence.
City can play resolutely as well as dominate
As impressive as City were in the first half, the second half was more about how resolutely City could play as United strived to pile on the pressure as they looked for the equaliser.
The first part of the battle between Mourinho and Guardiola was won by the City manager, but it can be argued that it was not solely down to De Bruyne being the difference between the two sides, but largely down to the second half performance by the whole City side, with surprisingly, Nicolas Otamendi being their most resilient defender of the afternoon.
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