Unreal comeback by Man United in the derby! How did City manage to lose this match?!
Turned everything around in just two minutes at the end.
Manchester United was trailing in the Manchester derby until the 88th minute. Some viewers may have thought the game was decided and stopped watching. Those people must now regret it.
Four standout figures were in the lineups. Despite Ederson’s shaky form recently, Guardiola trusted him to start. Foden was positioned centrally, while Nunes played as a left-back but was often pushed high into attacking positions.
On the other hand, Amorim punished Rashford and Garnacho by not even putting them on the bench. Both are fully fit, but the reasons were disciplinary: Rashford has spent more time partying and drinking than focusing on football, while Garnacho and his brother were involved in leaking team lineups. Here’s what the United manager said before the match:
"I pay attention to everything: how you eat and dress when preparing for a game — everything. I make my assessment and then decide. We spoke after the final training session. They’re fine. They trained this morning, and I was with them. They trained really well."
The opening stretch of the game was predictably under City’s control, although they created no real chances. And after the 14th minute, United lost Mount, who unexpectedly sat on the ground and requested a substitution. Mainoo came on in his place.
The first shot of the game from either team only came in the 21st minute, when Foden narrowly missed the near post with a low strike. Foden, overall, was the most active player, frequently getting into shooting positions. United soon responded with a much sharper chance when Diallo broke through from the right, one-on-one with Ederson. However, first, Amad missed, and second, City’s defense expertly held their offside line, catching the Ivorian offside.
The goal came from a corner in the 36th minute. De Bruyne delivered after a short play with Gündogan, aided by a slight deflection. Gvardiol won an aerial duel against Dalot and headed it in perfectly. A classic goal for City. Almost immediately afterward, a scuffle broke out, with both goalkeepers involved. Walker, the great provocateur, shoved Højlund, waited for him to approach, and lightly grazed him with his head, then theatrically dropped to the ground. Both players received yellow cards. The only question: how did City’s captain even survive that dive?
Setting aside the embarrassing simulation incident, City wasn’t just better on the scoreboard; they controlled the first half. But in the second half, United took over the game and came close to scoring three times. First, Ederson had to make an impressive save in the 63rd minute when Bruno crossed, and Amad produced a brilliant header toward the corner. Then came a duel between Dias and Højlund in City’s box. Referee Anthony Taylor didn’t award a penalty, though few would’ve argued if he had. The central moment, however, was Mazraoui’s brilliant tackle on Doku, followed by a perfectly timed through ball to Højlund, setting up Bruno for a one-on-one. The Portuguese midfielder chipped the ball over the goal.
The game seemed destined for a narrow City victory. But just before stoppage time, something extraordinary happened. Nunes, who had been excellent up to this point, ruined everything: a sloppy giveaway to Amad, followed by a reckless foul inside City’s box while trying to recover. Bruno calmly converted the penalty, seemingly salvaging a draw for United. But no!
Martínez sent a long ball forward. Diallo broke free from his markers, cleverly chipped the ball over Ederson, and rolled it into the empty net.
Amad is an absolute monster. Remember Rashford and Garnacho? Their absence wasn’t felt at all. Some might argue United’s win was lucky — they had trailed for almost the entire match. However, City completely collapsed in the second half, and full credit goes to United.
Published by Patrick Jane
16.12.2024