The Independent
·16. Dezember 2024
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·16. Dezember 2024
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Pep Guardiola admits he is questioning himself after Man City lose to Juventus
Amad Diallo scored a stunning winner for Manchester United to turn a dramatic derby as Manchester City collapsed again to continue their miserable run under Pep Guardiola.
Josko Gvardiol’s first-half header looked to have settled a clash that was low on quality, until Diallo punished a weak backpass from Matheus Nunes to win Ruben Amorim’s side a late penalty.
Bruno Fernandes stepped up to equalise as the clock ticked over to 90 minutes - before Diallo struck again to reach a through pass, flick the ball over Ederson, and squeeze a finish in to spark wild scenes in the away end.
The result means City have now lost eight of their last 11 games, while Amorim enjoyed his best moment yet in charge of United after starting the day by dropping both Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho.
But up stepped Diallo, who inspired an unthinkable comeback. Follow all of the latest from the Manchester derby in our live blog below:
If it were a contest to find the most troubled club inside the M60, Manchester City were the derby winners. In every other respect, it was another disastrous day for them. In snatching defeat from the jaws from victory, they gave Ruben Amorim’s derby debut an unexpectedly happy ending. On a day when Amorim made a statement selection by omitting Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho, the speedy winger he did select, Amad Diallo, etched his name into this fixture’s folklore, displaying the pace Pep Guardiola’s creaking team lack, first winning a penalty, then scoring a dramatic decider. “We have Fergie time and something magic happened,” said Amorim.
But for City, it was another capitulation, another collapse. After Feyenoord’s three goals in 15 minutes at the Etihad Stadium came United’s two in three. “Three-nil up against Feyenoord, we have to win that game,” said Guardiola. “Today, we have to win that game.” They did not. A team who lost a lead to Amorim’s Sporting last month repeated the feat against his Manchester United: but at home, but later, but when their plight is greater.
Manchester City 1-2 Manchester United: There now seems to be no such thing as a guarantee for Pep Guardiola, not even when leading a weakened rival, at home, with minutes to go in the derby
Jamie Braidwood16 December 2024 07:30
Bruno Fernandes said Amad Diallo can be unstoppable as he challenged the Manchester United winger to continue showing his form week to week.
“He’s been doing great things and there’s a lot more to come,” Fernandes told Sky after Diallo starred in the 2-1 win over Manchester City in the derby.
“He’s always active, always alive and this is why he gets the penalty and his goal. He’s been brilliant but I shouldn’t say much as we need to keep him going as we need him at this level. Like this he is unstoppable.
“I’m pretty sure he can do this every week. We expect it. He knows the expectation when playing for Manchester United. He’s getting his chance deservedly. When you do the right things at the right moments the rewards are here.”
(Getty Images)
Jamie Braidwood16 December 2024 06:30
It was bold. It was brave. And for 88 minutes it looked very foolish indeed. But this is why Ruben Amorim has been tasked with being Manchester United’s saviour. From the minute he walked in the door, he promised short-term pain for long-term game. It seemed, however, he had taken things a step too far. Whatever Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho had done to be omitted from the squad for a crucial Manchester derby, it should not have come at the cost of his team getting a result at the Etihad.
Amad Diallo, in winning an 88th minute penalty and firing a sensational winner, instead gave Amorim the ultimate justification for making the big calls, even for the biggest games. Many will say such courage has long been conspicuous by its absence around Old Trafford. Amad is already Amorim’s posterboy for this high intensity, high press game he wants to instil at United. Rashford and Garnacho, already, are anything but.
Manchester City 1-2 Manchester United: Amad Diallo’s inspired performance in the comeback win showed exactly what Amorim expects - Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho should take note
Jamie Braidwood16 December 2024 05:30
Former Manchester United skipper Roy Keane launched a scathing attack on Manchester City full-back Kyle Walker after he went to ground following a confrontation with Rasmus Hojlund.
Walker and Hojlund went head-to-head after the defender had blocked the striker’s run during the first half of Sunday’s Manchester derby at the Etihad Stadium with the England international collapsing to the turf after contact was made.
Referee Anthony Taylor issued both men with yellow cards after the 40th-minute incident, but Sky Sports pundit Keane felt the official could have gone further.
Asked if he would have given a red card, the ex-midfielder said: “Red card? Yes, to Walker.
“You don’t mind a bit of this, this is going to happen in the game, a bit of argy-bargy, of course. But I look at it. He’s obviously been blocked, but Walker.
“Of course it’s a foul, it’s a free-kick and that’s fine. Hojlund is not happy - that’s fine - and he goes over. How can Walker... Walker must be embarrassed. He must be embarrassed to go down like that, an experienced player.
“Listen, they say contact - look at this. I don’t know the guy and I’m embarrassed for him.”
Kyle Walker went down easily (PA Wire)
Jamie Braidwood16 December 2024 04:30
Gary Neville praised manager Ruben Amorim’s surprise decision to drop Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho from the matchday squad.
Neville, who challenged the pair to use their exclusion as a watershed, told Sky Sports: “I want Marcus Rashford and Garnacho to come back stronger, take the message that they’ve been given this morning by going training at the training ground on a Sunday when no one else is there, I want them to take this in the right spirit and become the very best players for Manchester United.
“But what’s really clear, I don’t care who you are, whether you’re Andrei Kanchelskis, Ryan Giggs, David Beckham, Nani, whoever you are as a wide player at Manchester United, you’ve got to run that way as fast as you can, you’ve got to run back that way as fast as you can.
“And then the rest of it... To be fair, they’ve got the talent and they’ve got the ability, but if you don’t do that, there’s no place for you in the club, there’s no place for you in the team.”
(Getty Images)
Jamie Braidwood16 December 2024 03:30
Manchester United striker Rasmus Hojlund joked that Kyle Walker should win an Oscar after Roy Keane criticised the Manchester City’s defender play-acting in the derby.
Hojlund and Walker were involved in a heated confrontation during the first half at the Etihad but it was the United striker who had the last laugh as Amad Diallo inspired a dramatic comeback.
Walker was involved in an argument with Hojlund after clipping the United striker, but then fell to the ground as the pair went head-to-head.
Replays showed there had been little to no further contact between Hojlund and Walker after the initial head-to-head, but that did not stop the 34-year-old collapsing to the turf.
On Sky Sports, former United captain Keane slated Walker’s dive as “embarrassing” and Hojlund took to Instagram shortly after United’s 2-1 win to post a brilliant comeback.
Hojlund had the last laugh after Amad Diallo inspired a late comeback for Manchester United at Man City
Jamie Braidwood16 December 2024 02:30
Ruben Amorim has said Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho will have the chance to win their place back in the Manchester United team after they were dropped for the derby.
Amorim said his decision to drop Rashford and Garnacho was not a disciplinary move and was about the high standards he wants to set at Old Trafford.
“When people in the club are losing their jobs, we have to push our standards really high,” Amorim said, in reference to former Sporting Director Dan Ashworth, who parted ways with the club a week earlier.
“Next week, next game, new life, they are fighting for their places but for me it’s important, the performance in training, the performance in game, the way you dress, the way you eat, the way you engage with teammates, the way you push your teammates, everything is important when we want to change a lot of things.
“They have to fight for a place in the team and today the team proved we can leave anyone out of the squad and manage to win if you play together.”
(Getty Images)
Jamie Braidwood16 December 2024 01:30
Former Manchester United captain Roy Keane says Ruben Amorim’s side have to “turn up” at Tottenham in the Carabao Cup quarter-finals.
Victory over Manchester City has improved Amorim’s start in charge and United have the chance to book a place in the semi-finals when they visit Spurs on Thursday.
“United have had a really good day but they have to turn up at Spurs on Thursday night now – that’s the challenge,” Keane said on Sky Sports
“They have to kick-on now. This might just be the spark they need, for the manager and the players, who were kissing the badge at the end.
“They have to get momentum into their season, they’ve not had any. It’s been stop-start, hit and miss. There was a bit of self-destruction from Man City but United need to use this. Turn up at Spurs and put in a spirited performance.”
(Getty Images)
Jamie Braidwood16 December 2024 00:30
Ruben Amorim on Manchester United’s comeback win at Man City as the Portuguese coach celebrated his second win over Pep Guardiola in as many games - but says he wants to enjoy victory for no more than “10 minutes”.
“I think we did a great job, we controlled it very well,” he said. “We didn’t allow much, of course we don’t create so much either but it was a divided game. But we believed a lot.
“It was different from Arsenal, we controlled the Arsenal game in the first half but I didn’t feel that belief. Today I felt it and I think that was the key point to change the game.
“I think for the fans it has a deep meaning especially in this context, this moment, but we had a difficult moment one week ago against Nottingham (Forest) at home, in the storm.
“After this match we are more happy, three points, but we have to continue and don’t stop. Next week we are playing again and it will change the way we see the team. Today is a good day, let’s enjoy it for 10 minutes and then think about the next game.”
(Getty Images)
Jamie Braidwood15 December 2024 23:30
“We totally deserved what happened. At this level, if it’s a game or two, you can say that they are being lucky. If it’s 10 games, it’s not about that.
“If in the 87th minute of a derby, you are winning 1-0 with a corner for your team and the ball ends up with your ‘keeper and a penalty for them, my friend…
“If you make these kinds of stupid decisions with three or four minutes to go, you deserve to pay for that.
“If you look at the game, there was only one team that could win. But at the end, we lost, and it’s not one game, it’s a lot of games lately.
“We have to look at ourselves. It’s not about luck. It’s the decisions you make. Today, in the last minutes we played like under-15s and we paid the price.”