Manchester Derby: City Outclass United 3-0 at the Etihad

Alarm bells will be ringing around Old Trafford after Manchester United were convincingly beaten 3-0 by rivals Manchester City at the Etihad. Ruben Amorim’s men were thoroughly outplayed and outclassed, and pressure is beginning to mount on the Portuguese manager.

The Citizens made wholesale changes from their defeat to Brighton in the previous fixture, with Donnarumma, Gvardiol, O’Reilly, Foden and Doku coming into the starting XI. United also rotated, handing starts to Šeško, Mazraoui and Ugarte in place of Cunha, Mount and Dalot.

City started brightly, with Haaland flashing a shot just wide after only 20 seconds. Their dominance was rewarded in the 18th minute when Jérémy Doku skipped past United’s defence and delivered a perfect cross for Phil Foden, who headed home. Despite spells of possession, Amorim’s side offered little threat and failed to create clear-cut chances in the first half.

Pep Guardiola’s men came out firing after the break. A slick move down the left involving Foden and Doku set up Haaland, who coolly converted in the 52nd minute, his fourth goal in as many league matches. The Norwegian nearly doubled his tally moments later, striking the post from close range. At the other end, Donnarumma justified his summer signing with a stunning save to deny Mbeumo’s volley on the hour mark.

City’s pressure soon told again. In the 68th minute, sloppy United defending allowed Bernardo Silva to slide Haaland through on goal. The striker showed trademark composure to slot past Bayindir for his second of the match and City’s third. The hosts could easily have added more, with Tijani Reijnders going close after being set up by Haaland. United rallied late on with a brief spell of pressure, but it was far too little, too late.

For Amorim, both the result and performance will raise serious concerns. United sit 14th in the league with two defeats from their opening four games. In contrast, Guardiola will be delighted with his side’s response and will look to carry this momentum into their Champions League opener against Napoli in midweek and a crucial Premier League clash with Arsenal next weekend.

Line-Ups:

Manchester City – Donnarumma; Khusanov, Dias, Gvardiol, O’Reilly; Rodri (Gonzalez, 76’), Foden, Reijnders; Silva (Aké, 86’), Haaland (Bobb, 86’), Doku (Savinho, 76’).

Manchester United – Bayindir; Yoro (Maguire, 61’), De Ligt, Shaw; Mazraoui (Mainoo, 61’), Ugarte (Casemiro, 79’), Fernandes, Dorgu; Mbeumo, Šeško (Zirkzee, 79’), Amad Diallo.