Manchester City v Manchester United: Premier League – live
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At the 29-minute mark, Bernardo Silva makes a powerful run into the box and seems poised to take a shot on goal. However, Bruno Fernandes makes a perfectly timed tackle from behind, crucially stopping him just in time.
27 minutes: The striking part of Rashford's absence is that Manchester United would greatly gain from having someone with his skills—assuming he was fully motivated and in shape—especially against a team that seems vulnerable on the wings and struggles to handle quick counterattacks.
26 minutes: Opportunity! Well, sort of! Ugarte passes the ball to Diallo, who makes a run into the box, but he a) misses the target and b) is caught offside.
At the 23-minute mark, De Bruyne passes to Haaland, who then finds Foden. Foden shifts from side to side before firing off a shot that gets deflected away. Dias attempts to score from the corner but heads it over the bar. Meanwhile, at the back post, Hojland tries to keep Haaland in check by wrapping him in a tight hug.
22 minutes: United had a promising opportunity to make something happen, but Diallo's pass to Hojland was too fast and couldn't be handled.
21 minutes in: The game sees its first attempt on goal, with Foden unleashing a powerful left-footed half-volley. Although well hit, it sails about a yard off target.
20 minutes in: The crowd whistles as United maintains possession, moving the ball around the left side of City's penalty box. There are cheers when they lose it, and a cross-field pass to Nunes gives City the chance to break forward.
17 minutes: Mazraoui passes the ball to Mainoo, putting him in a tough spot near Manchester United's penalty area, but City fails to capitalize on the opportunity.
14 minutes in: Kobbie Mainoo enters the game. Mount has participated in about 17% of United's Premier League minutes this season. If this is a slight muscle strain—considering he left the field on his own and didn't seem to be in serious pain—it will likely be a few weeks before he is back in action.
After 13 minutes, Mason Mount has to leave the game. It's not a result of any physical contact; he simply goes down off the play. The camera captures him sitting on the ground, looking completely devastated.
11 minutes in: Amad Diallo receives a pass and makes a run down the right side. He’s a couple of yards offside, yet the linesman holds off on raising his flag until he loses possession of the ball. It seemed obvious enough that the offside call could have been made immediately.
In the 10th minute, Dalot gets another chance to cross the ball, this time using his right foot. Unfortunately, he sends it too far, resulting in a goal-kick.
9 minutes in: The game is living up to expectations with its fast tempo and lack of accuracy. "The commentary just mentioned that the first derby was a match between United, representing a local church, and City, standing for a railway," notes Justin Kavanagh. "Not much has altered since then: The Reds have been struggling lately, while the Sky Blues have completely lost their way."
6 minutes: United makes their initial advance, but the move concludes with Ederson grabbing Dalot's cross from the left side.
5 minutes: De Bruyne sends a high cross toward the back post, aiming for Haaland, who is being guarded by Martinez. The defender manages to take control of the situation.
3 mins: City has a bit of the ball at the start, but their attack fizzles out when Doku challenges Mazraoui and ends up running out of bounds.
1 minute: Beep! The home team starts the match.
The sound of the Blue Moon echoes. Hands are shaken, a coin is tossed, and teams gather together. The start of the match is just moments away.
The players are gathered in the tunnel-like entrance with mirror walls, just moments before the kickoff. "So, if I'm interpreting this correctly, Amorim is suggesting that Rashford got dressed incorrectly?" comments Matt Dony. "I wouldn't be surprised if he put his socks on before his shorts. That's just odd." I totally agree. Socks should definitely be put on last; it's pretty straightforward.
An email comes in! “It seems that City's injury problems are becoming quite serious, with £200m worth of talent sitting on the bench,” says Tim Woods. “As a Liverpool supporter, I find myself in the unusual situation of rooting for a United victory. Even with their challenges, I still worry that City could string together a 25-game winning streak and keep us (or Chelsea) from the title again.” Of course, I’m completely neutral, but it would be refreshing to see a different team claim the championship this time. After winning four times in a row and six out of seven, I think that’s enough for now.
Just a few months ago, Erik ten Hag, the former manager of United, called the thought of benching Rashford “ridiculous.” He went on to say, “I would almost suggest that someone is not right if they even consider such rumors. I'm really pleased with Marcus and everything he brings—both in defense and attack; he’s doing an excellent job.”
Here's some additional insight from Amorim regarding the situation involving Rashford and Garnacho:
Certainly, the circumstances are challenging, as we need to secure victories and are facing a tough situation. I monitor every detail—how you eat, how you dress—before making my decisions. With so many players available, I’ve made my selection for today.
Pep Guardiola has announced that Matheus Nunes will be playing at left-back for Manchester City, stating that “he’s our only choice.”
Ruben Amorim, smiling, explained that his choice to exclude Rashford and Garnacho was based on their "training, performance, and interactions with their teammates." This comment seems subtly critical.
We made an effort to assess every aspect – from training and individual performance to gameplay and teamwork. Our analysis is thorough because choosing the right players is crucial. Ultimately, it’s my choice. I’m not trying to convey any particular message; it’s just based on my evaluation. Everyone is on board with my decision.
"It's merely a straightforward choice." ????
Ruben Amorim shares the reasoning behind his choice to exclude Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho from his lineup. ???? pic.twitter.com/a9CdgPmugV
In the meantime, Jonathan Wilson has shared his thoughts on the challenges Ruben Amorim will face at Manchester United.
Around 5:30 PM last Saturday, it looked for a moment like Manchester United might be becoming a real contender in football. However, just two minutes later, when Nikola Milenkovic outjumped Lisandro Martínez, that illusion shattered. After a couple more bizarre goals—mistakes that suggested a deep-seated lack of focus—it was evident that the team's jokey phase still has a way to go.
That was just the start. By the next morning, Dan Ashworth had officially parted ways with the club by mutual agreement: he was set to enjoy five months of paid leave followed by five months of actual work. It was an impressive example of absurd irony, especially when you take into account the amount Manchester United had to shell out to Newcastle to bring him on board, as well as the large sum he likely received as a severance package.
Before the match, I've got some reading material for you. Let's kick things off with an article by Tom Bassam that discusses Pep Guardiola's history in derby matches.
Marcus Rashford has participated in all 15 Premier League matches for Manchester United this season, but that streak comes to an end today. He and Alejandro Garnacho, who have a combined total of 22 league starts, will not be part of the matchday squad as decided by Ruben Amorim.
The team updates are out, and the starting line-ups are as follows:
Man City: Ederson, Walker, Dias, Gvardiol, Gundogan, Silva, Doku, De Bruyne, Foden, Matheus Nunes, and Haaland. Substitutes: Ortega, Stones, Kovacic, Grealish, Savio, Simpson-Pusey, O’Reilly, McAtee, and Mubama. Man Utd: Onana, de Ligt, Maguire, Martinez, Mazraoui, Ugarte, Fernandes, Dalot, Diallo, Hojlund, and Mount. Substitutes: Bayindir, Lindelof, Zirkzee, Malacia, Eriksen, Yoro, Casemiro, Antony, and Mainoo. Referee: Anthony Taylor.
In the blue corner, supporting #MCIMNU ????
XI | Ederson, Walker (C), Dias, Gvardiol, Gundogan, De Bruyne, Bernardo, Nunes, Foden, Doku, Haaland
SUBSTITUTES | Ortega Moreno, Stones, Kovacic, Grealish, Savinho, Simpson-Pusey, Mubama, O'Reilly, McAtee #ManCity | @etihad pic.twitter.com/2VP4OICPCf
It's a matchup between the fifth-placed team in the Premier League and the team in 13th. If the lower-ranked team wins, they will match Liverpool's points in the home-games-only standings and only trail Brentford. Meanwhile, the fifth-placed team has managed to win just one match on the road this season, which was against Southampton over three months ago. Overall, this doesn't seem particularly thrilling.
It's challenging to think of a more captivating recent Manchester derby. Maybe it's too early in Ruben Amorim’s tenure as United's manager, and their performance—only one victory in four league matches, and three wins in six when including the Europa League—shows that he hasn't successfully changed things yet. However, we can't underestimate how the energy of a big derby could affect them, especially since this Manchester City team is currently struggling and transitioning, making them less formidable than many in the Premier League. Amorim knows this firsthand; he recently guided Sporting Lisbon to a surprising 4-1 victory over City in the Champions League early last month, despite that match being quite unusual, and arguably one City should have won. Additionally, City is facing a defensive injury crisis, worsened by Rico Lewis's suspension. Pep Guardiola remarked, “The heart and spirit of this team are still intact.” On the other hand, Amorim stated, “We need to concentrate on ourselves because we’re not at the level we aspire to be, so we can’t let the successes of others distract us. Our focus must be on our own performance.”
Moving on from that, it’s time for the derby, and this one is more significant than normal. Welcome aboard!
