Key events
Half-time reading
Some memories in here!
“After Liverpool Fergie-Timed their way to victory earlier, it’s nice to relax with a game where I genuinely don’t care what happens,” writes Matt Dony. “I guess, as a ‘neutral’, a draw is the best outcome points-wise, and a City win is probably the best outcome for my evening’s WhatsApp, but I can live with any result. Ideally, no goals for Haaland, though.”
Stop! (It’s) Arne Time (now).
Half time: Man City 1-0 Man Utd
Phil Foden is rarely than mad for it on derby day and his cathartic goal has given City a deserved lead at half-time. There wasn’t a huge amount in the game, and United had some promising attacks without really working Gianluigi Donnarumma. But City were just a bit more penetrative, with Foden, Jeremy Doku and Erling Haaland all making life difficult for United’s defence.
45 min Dorgu, quietly relentless down the United left, wins a corner off Khusanov. Fernandes takes, Donnarumma punches away without fuss or faff.
43 min We’re seeing a replay or three of the Foden goal while there is a break in play. Foden’s header was accomplished but the best bit was Doku’s sleight of hip to beat Shaw on the edge of the area.
40 min Haaland rarely gets much credit for his link play but it has been superb today, really deft. He has also played with an eye-catching intensity. The other players are hardly phoning it in but Haaland has probably been the most dynamic on either side.
38 min O’Reilly pops up on the edge of the United area to control a straight pass from Reijnders, turn and spank a half-volley high and wide.
I think Reijnders’ pass was intended for Haaland, who had made a textbook angled run, Ian Rush-style, into the space.
37 min Rodri’s eyes light up when he spots an angled pass that could put Bernardo Silva through on goal. Shaw steps forward to make a vital interception.
35 min Fernandes takes the resulting free-kick, whipping a dangerous inswinger into the six-yard box. None of the United players can reach it and Donnarumma claims comfortably.
34 min For reasons know only to himself, Khusanov sends Dorgu flying to give Man Utd a free-kick on the left wing. It was a bouncing ball and Dorgu was going nowhere, but Khusanov suddenly went into Beast mode.
33 min Sesko has a shot blocked by the outrushing Donnarumma after an excellent pass from Mazraoui. It wouldn’t have counted as he controlled the ball with his arm on the stretch.
31 min This is a better period for United, who had to survive a bit of an onslaught after Foden’s goal. Now they are getting on the ball again.
29 min Mbeumo, fractionally offside, runs through on goal from Ugarte’s crossfield pass. Play was allowed to continue and Mbeumo splashed a shot well wide with his right foot.
28 min Mbeumo scurries into space on the right, onto a short pass from Fernandes. He gets to the edge of the area, assesses his options and lifts a cross that is headed away well at the far post. Not sure who the defender was, possibly Khusanov, but he needed to clear because there were two United players behind him.
26 min United are hanging on their 1-0 deficit. Haaland beats Yoro beautifully in the centre circle, rumbles forward and gives the ball to Bernardo Silva. City have a four-on-three break so it’s a surprise that Bernardo plays an instant return pass to Haaland. He can’t control an awkward ball and United clear.
24 min: Chance for City
Doku charges down the left, turns back onto his right foot and slides a low cross towards Reijnders at the near post. He opens his body to sidefoot a first-time shot that is crucially kept out by Bayindir. It was straight at him, pretty much, but it needed saving and he was alert enough to dive on the rebound.
23 min I forgot to say that it’s pelting down at the Etihad. This information is brought down in conjunction with the campaign for the reintroduction of the long-range shot.
22 min Goals are often the result of a spell of dominance. Sometimes they spark them, and that’s what has happened today. United were probably the better team until Foden scored; now they are really under the pump.
19 min When Foden scored, he pointed to the badge and buried himself in amongst the City supporters. It was a lovely moment, rich in catharsis.
After a desperate year, this could spark Foden back into life. The goal was made by Doku, who moved over to the inside-right channel and beat Shaw with a delicious bodyswerve on the edge of the area. His first cross was blocked by Ugarte but his second picked out Foden, who arrived late and guided an expert header across the diving Bayindir.
GOAL! Man City 1-0 Man Utd (Foden 18)
Phil Foden gives City the lead!
16 min A good cross on the run from Dorgu reaches Amad in space at the far post, 12 yards out. He launches into a spectacular scissor-kick, gets the timing wrong and slices the ball away from goal.
15 min Not much of a game at the moment. City are slowly settling into their groove; as I type they’ve had 56 per cent possession in the game.
11 min It looked like City would come flying out of the traps, especially when Haaland shot wide after 16 seconds, but United have had plenty of the ball in the first 10 minutes.
9 min Dorgu wins the ball high up the field from Bernardo Silva, who pulls him back and is very lucky to escape a yellow card.
7 min Bayindir miscontrols a backpass from Yoro and is forced into a desperate sliding tackle on Erling Haaland. He got away with it but that’s not a great look. It also elicited an extended, slightly ominous “ooooooohhhhhhhhh” from Gary Neville in the commentary box.
6 min Amad takes up an excellent position between the lines but then overhits his pass out to Mbeumo. United have made a purposeful start.
4 min Sesko turns on the edge of the D and floats a left-foot shot that is saved to his right by Donnarumma. It was an awkward stop but the ball was never really in danger of getting past him.
3 min If you’re a Manchester United fan, I urge you to sign up for Tim de Lisle’s newsletter United Writing. My name is on it as well but Tim does all the work. Brilliant work.
2 min United have started with Amad as the left-sided No10 and Mbeumo on the right.
1 min City kick off from left to right as we watch – and Haaland snaps a volley just wide inside 16 seconds! Excellent effort, from a tight angle on the left side of the box, and a statement of City’s intent.
The players gather round the centre circle for a minute’s applause in memory of Ricky Hatton. Pep Guardiola looks particularly emotional on the touchline.
A reminder of the teams
Man City (4-3-3) Donnarumma; Khusanov, Dias, Gvardiol, O’Reilly; Bernardo, Rodri, Reijnders; Foden, Haaland, Doku.
Subs: Trafford, Ake, Nico, Savinho, Nunes, Bobb, Mukasa, Lewis, Mfuni.
Man Utd (3-4-2-1) Bayindir; Yoro, De Ligt, Shaw; Mazraoui, Ugarte, Fernandes, Dorgu; Amad, Mbeumo; Sesko.
Subs: Heaton, Lammens, Fredricson, Heaven, Leon, Maguire, Casemiro, Mainoo, Zirkzee.
Referee Anthony Taylor.
Ruben Amorim’s pre-match thoughts
He’s ready to start, it’s a good game for him. The injuries to Matheus Cunha and Mason Mount [are a factor] but we want him to use his pace behind the defence.
[On the omission of Kobbie Mainoo and Amad moving up to No10] We need a winger playing inside more than an extra midfielder; that’s my feeling. I think we will have space in behind.
Pep Guardiola pays tribute to Ricky Hatton
It was tough news to wake up to. Of course he had success and was world champion, but it’s the loss for his family, his kids; he was a grandad. It’s so tough for everyone.
Match report: Burnley 0-1 Liverpool
Premier League result: Burnley 0-1 Liverpool
Liverpool have made it four wins out of four, and four dramatic late wins at that, after Mo Salah’s 95th-minute penalty shattered an heroic Burnley defence.
Erling Haaland’s pre-match thoughts
Jamie Jackson on The Ruben Show
A first United defeat by League Two opposition in the second‑tier cup competition will always be a big deal. But zoom out a smidgeon and the wider picture in the bread and butter of the league was two matches played and a point taken (not great but also no seismic disaster) and United motor across town for Sunday’s 197th derby with four points, one more than Pep Guardiola’s garlanded Manchester City, who are winless since the opening day.
So is it reasonable to consider Amorim’s position under threat three league games into a season? Certifiably not. Is this simply life for the gent in the hottest of football seats? Certainly.
Man Utd make four changes, three because of injury. Diogo Dalot, Matheus Cunha and Mason Mount are all unavailable; Casemiro’s ageing legs are deemed unsuitable for this particular challenge.
The replacements are Patrick Dorgu, Noussai Mazraoui, Manuel Ugarte – and Benjamin Sesko, who makes his full Premier League debut.
Pep Guardiola has made six changes to the team that lost at Brighton a fortnight ago. Gianluigi Donnarumma, Ruben Dias, Josko Gvardiola, Nico O’Reilly, Phil Foden and Jeremy Doku come in for James Trafford, Matheus Nunes, John Stones, Rayan Ait-Nouri, Oscar Bobb and Omar Marmoush.
Jonathan Wilson on Pep Guardiola’s place in a changing world
The environment is akin to England after the reliance on W-M and the winger was shattered by Hungary in 1953, or 19th-century Europe after scientific discoveries had provoked the crisis of faith. If none of the previous assumptions are true, if we cannot trust the old doctrine, how do we know what is right?
This is the world that produced Charles Darwin and Friedrich Nietzsche and had Arthur Conan Doyle attending seances and believing in fairies, just as managers in the 50s started trialling strike pairings and back fours and had the Doncaster manager Peter Doherty assigning players with random numbers to spread confusion. Nobody knows what is true any more, and the consequence is a chaotic world of experimentation.
Team news: Donnarumma, Sesko start
Man City (4-3-3) Donnarumma; Khusanov, Dias, Gvardiol, O’Reilly; Bernardo, Rodri, Reijnders; Foden, Haaland, Doku.
Subs: Trafford, Ake, Nico, Savinho, Nunes, Bobb, Mukasa, Lewis, Mfuni.
Man Utd (3-4-2-1) Bayindir; Yoro, De Ligt, Shaw; Mazraoui, Ugarte, Fernandes, Dorgu; Amad, Mbeumo; Sesko.
Subs: Heaton, Lammens, Fredricson, Heaven, Leon, Maguire, Casemiro, Mainoo, Zirkzee.
Referee Anthony Taylor.
Before the game there will be a tribute to boxing legend and City fan Ricky Hatton, who has died at the age of just 46.
Preamble
It’s 3 February 1990. No really, folks, it is! FW de Klerk has just announced plans to release Nelson Mandela from prison; Mike Tyson is a week away from pummelling Buster Douglas; Tears on my Pillow, Kylie Minogue’s epic meditation on love, loss and secretion from the lachrymal glands, is being kept off top spot by some Prince knock-off.
And the Manchester derby is taking place at Old Trafford. Seventeenth-place United and 14th-place City draw 1-1 in a lively contest, with Clayton Blackmore’s excellent goal cancelled out by a screamer from Ian Brightwell.
That was the last time the Manchester derby took place with both teams in the bottom half of the table*. Today’s game is 16th v 11th and, though there are some simple reasons for that – it’s early in the season, they’ve played a game fewer than most of the teams above them – it’s also a reflection of the reduced status of both clubs.
City have lost two of the first three games and the word on the street is that Pep Guardiola is yesterday’s visionary; United are United. To judge a team after a handful of games is absurd, reductive, infantile, pathetic; it’s also the norm.
Woe betide whoever loses today.
Kick off 4.30pm.
* We think. If we’re wrong, let us have it
