Manchester City-entertained the might of their arch-rivals Manchester United as a place in the Carabao Cup was up for grabs. This saw a lot of good movement and attacking play from both sides as the Manchester clubs sought to assert themselves in the game.
In the end, it was Manchester United that drew the first blood in the entire contest.
Nemanja Matic fired his side into a deserved lead in the 35th minute, just 10 minutes before the match intermission.
Following the Manchester Derby encounter between both sides, we evaluate the three significant talking points from the game.
United Do Away Double
Manchester United may have been piped by rival Manchester City but a certain wave of excellence was not lacking from their gameplay as we’ve seen from the derby dash. They showed character and guts to Man City despite playing away from home.
It could have been better had they not lose the first leg with a wide margin of 1-3 at home when Pep Guardiola and his side visited.
They beat City 0-1 at the Etihad meaning they’ve secured two wins against Manchester City at the Etihad this season.
This is commendable as United have had a purple patch campaign in the season coupled with the players they`ve missed so far due to injury even as at the moment.
Matic On The Spotlight
The Serbian midfielder was exceptional at the base of the midfield for Manchester United. This he did in company of Brazilian star Fred before he fired United into the lead just before the half time break.
What a goal it was as Matic scored from a breathtaking effort to give the Red Devils the lead they deserve at that moment. However, the player got booked for a foul on City forward Riyad Mahrez before hauling another Manchester City player down in the second half for a second bookable offense.
This led to his dismissal, as he was sent off by the match official leaving United to finish the match with 10 men in the game.
VAR Intervention For United
While the Red Devils may have claimed a 0-1 away win at the Etihad, the assistant referee was on hand to make this so with much-reserved moderation.
Firstly, following City pop up into the United’s box, Sterling got on to the end of the low cross but it wouldn’t count but for offside which was relatively obvious from all angles.
However, Aguero’s goal in the second half was canceled even when it looked very tight at that point in the match.
United would be pleased as the goal was ruled out for offside while City failed to reap the rewards for the goal they really created in an exemplary fashion.
However, in the end, they have a place in the final to cheer though as United make exit in the EFL Cup.
