Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men succumbed to yet another semi-final defeat in domestic competitions taking their tally to 4 semi defeats in 12 months as Ole is still to reach his first final. Pep Guardiola’s men inflicted a 0-2 defeat on Manchester united.
John Stones gave Manchester City the lead with the first legitimate goal of the match as both the sides had goals being ruled out for offsides. Fernandinho doubled the lead 7 minutes from time as the reds went down to their city rivals.
MATCH PROCEEDINGS
Manchester United and Manchester City were both riding high on confidence due to their recent form and this was an excellent opportunity for both teams to continue that rich vein of form into the new year.
Both teams entered this match on the back of some great form and this derby was much more interesting than the one which we had last time around. Two goals, one from each side were already disallowed inside the first 10 minutes of the game.
The visitors enjoyed a good amount of possession with some crisp passing but the match seemed to be evenly poised as Manchester United held on and looked a threat whenever they got a chance to counter.
Bruno Fernandes had an excellent shot being saved by Zack Steffen who put in a great performance on the night. De Bruyne hit the woodwork early on in the match but somehow the game managed to remain at 0-0 before halftime.
In the 50th minute, however, John Stones bundled a cross from a free-kick as the Manchester United defence failed to clear their lines properly. Dean Henderson also made a great save to tip Riyad Mahrez’s shot over the post.
Manchester United tried their best to get back in the game but just a few minutes away from the final whistle Fernandinho sealed the game for Manchester City as Manchester United failed to clear the corner convincingly.
We hope that the Manchester United dugout can learn something essential from this game so that they fair better in the remainder of their matches.
