Manchester United staged a stunning comeback to defeat local rivals City 2-1, giving them seven victories in seven matches since the World Cup ended. Erik ten Hag’s side posed a significant threat in the first half, but were undone by substitute Jack Grealish’s flying header on the hour mark.
A quickfire Bruno Fernandes strike, initially flagged offside, and Marcus Rashford tap-in turned the result on its head, as the Reds enthralled our fans on a memorable day at Old Trafford.We had to be patient in the early going as the visitors settled into the possession-heavy style that has defined Pep Guardiola’s reign.
The Old Trafford faithful were consistently blown away by Fred’s energy and combativeness. Ten Hag brought in the defensive midfielder to replace winger Antony, who was unlucky not to start after scoring two goals in two games. With a couple of big tackles, Fred hounded Kevin De Bruyne, forcing the Belgian playmaker to move wide to escape the crowded midfield.
United continued to cause problems for City on the break, and Rashford burst past the onrushing Ederson in the 34th minute after another pinpoint Bruno pass. City’s defenders backed up their goalkeeper well and quickly covered the line, preventing us from scoring a simple opening goal with a crucial block.
Three minutes later, Rashford was back at the heart of United’s threat. Eriksen set his colleague away from Rodri, who couldn’t match his pace, with a beautiful passing exchange down the left. Ederson held his ground against Rashford’s dink as another useful opportunity passed him by.
United fans around the world held their breath as Rashford went down with an apparent injury just before halftime, but he quickly returned to the field. City ended the first half by prodding and probing around our box, culminating in Kyle Walker blasting a long shot just wide of David De Gea’s post. A ferocious start to the second half enthralled both sets of fans. Antony, who came on for Martial at the break, forced Nathan Ake to concede a dangerous set-piece wide of the box. The resulting cross forced Ederson into a save, but Raphael Varane was flagged offside.
City quickly responded, accelerating play down the right wing with De Bruyne, who tested our defence with a number of tricky passes across the box. United cleared the first, but minutes later, his delivery set up an unstoppable header for substitute Grealish to make it 1-0 on the hour.
Despite working hard to close down the spaces, United struggled to contain City’s energy in possession after the goal. Aaron Wan-Bissaka demonstrated excellent skill down the flank before attempting to score, just moments before Ten Hag introduced Alejandro Garnacho from the bench in place of Eriksen.
Garnacho immediately stretched City’s backline, assisting United in regaining momentum. An increase in pressure paid off in the 78th minute, when Fernandes curled home from a Casemiro pass that split the defence. Rashford, who initially chased the ball, wisely decided not to touch it, but the officials needed to confer before declaring a goal, which brought the house down.
Garnacho’s influence was crucial again four minutes later. His cut down the left sent City reeling, and on the second attempt, he pinged a cross right into Rashford’s path, who fired past Ederson for 2-1. City applied the pressure, but Ten Hag’s team maintained the character that has defined their season thus far. United are now just one point behind Pep Guardiola’s men, who trail Arsenal by five points despite having played one more game
