Match Report and Player Ratings: Manchester City 1-2 Manchester United (Premier League) | OneFootball

Manchester City fell further into despair after suffering a 1-2 home defeat against bitter city rivals, Manchester United on Sunday afternoon.

Troubles continue to mount for Pep Guardiola’s side, who suffered a sixth defeat in their last seven Premier League matches, with the latest being at the hands of their neighbours in the coveted Manchester derby.

Weeks after seeing his Sporting side beat City 4-1 in the Champions League, Ruben Amorim saw his men stun the Sky Blues with a massive turnaround late in the game at the Etihad Stadium.

The visitors, who arrived off the back of consecutive away defeats, walked away from the champions’ backyard with three points and bragging rights in Amorim’s first Premier League meeting with Pep Guardiola.

The Blues’ opening chance fell to Phil Foden, who aimed for the bottom corner with a well-struck half-volley but couldn’t find the back of the net. It was the first glimpse of the boyhood Manchester City fan’s routine display of brilliance against the local rivals.

Foden soon created a second opportunity with incredible footwork inside the box, but his shot was deflected wide. The two chances were separated by a few minutes, and the sequence allowed City to build more pressure on their opponents.

It also created enough space for Manchester United to look for an opening, but the Blues’ defence remained composed to keep attacks at bay. Kevin De Bruyne was instrumental in driving the attack forward, but the hosts visibly preferred to play out wide.

Josko Gvardiol and Matheus Nunes paired up to build attack from the left, and City’s patience was soon rewarded. De Bruyne played a short corner to Bernardo Silva, who swiftly returned the ball to the Belgian. The latter’s cross deflected off Amad Diallo and fell in the path of a rising Gvardiol, who sent the ball flying past Andre Onana and into the net.

City restrained pressure to end the half with a one-goal lead. United created an early chance when both sides returned for the second half. Still, Ederson wasn’t tested until almost an hour into the game when the Brazilian denied Amad’s header. That is until, ironically, familiar misery fell over the Etihad Stadium in the match’s final moments.

The Blues created fewer chances after Mateo Kovacic replaced Kevin De Bruyne. The plan was to prioritise possession, but a terrible back-pass from Nunes saw Amad pounce on the ball against Ederson. He rushed back to help the goalkeeper but brought down Amad, conceding a penalty that Fernandes successfully put away to bring the visitors level.

Manchester United would quickly double the lead through Amad, punishing their neighbours for an increasingly timid second-half performance by snatching all hopes of three points in the 90th minute.

The defeat dealt a major blow to Manchester City’s hopes of climbing the Premier League table. Having played the same number of games, they now stand fifth, one point behind Nottingham Forest and two points behind Arsenal.

Pep Guardiola and his men will be back in action next weekend for their final outing before Christmas in an away fixture against Aston Villa. But before then, here’s how we think the Manchester City players fared in their 1-2 defeat against Manchester United!

Player Ratings

Starting XI

Ederson – 6

Made an important save against Amad, comfortably distributed his long passes to reach the Manchester City attackers, and could have done better for the second goal.

Kyle Walker – 5

He had a better performance compared to recent outings, strange decision to go down and fake a head-butt from Rasmus Hojlund, and ended up with a yellow card as a result.

Ruben Dias – 6.5

Led the defensive line-up, had a solid performance at the back, and was crucial in helping City build the play from the back.

Josko Gvardiol – 7

Scored a goal and made important blocks. Struck the much-needed balance between his offensive and defensive duties.

Mattheus Nunes – 4

Huge mistake, followed by conceding the penalty. He was mainly responsible for Manchester United’s second goal, and it overshadowed everything he did right until the 85th minute.

Ilkay Gundogan – 5.5

Made a few important clearances, recovered the ball, and looked better in the defensive midfield role, still needs support.

Phil Foden – 5.5

His best performance this season looked sharp in the midfield, and he did well when floating towards the flanks.

Kevin De Bruyne – 6.5

He was massive in creating chances for Man City; he could have had a better game by his standards.

Jeremy Doku – 5

Bright with his runs? Sure. A threat? Not exactly. Couldn’t find the way past his defender and struggled to keep the ball in the final third.

Bernardo Silva – 6.5

Troubled the opponents’ defense on the right and seamlessly moved into the midfield to help build the attacks.

Erling Haaland – 5

Did not find himself at the end of many chances but did well to keep the Manchester United defense occupied with his runs, one of his better games, and looked more confident.

Substitutes

Mateo Kovacic – 5.5

Helped the defensive midfield and did well to contain a few attacks with quick ball recoveries.

Jack Grealish – 5

Replaced Jeremy Doku and helped retain the ball on the right. Tried targeting Erling Haaland inside the box but couldn’t find the Norwegian.

Savinho – N/A