Explosive offense, MU thrashes Man City at Old Trafford

The commanding win against Manchester City helped Manchester United leave a significant mark in the Manchester derby and had a direct impact on the Premier League table dynamics.

Right from the kickoff, Manchester United started confidently, ready to push their lines forward. In the 3rd minute, Harry Maguire shook the opponent’s goalpost with a header that hit the crossbar from a corner kick. United controlled the game well, continuously applying pressure with fast attacks down both wings.

The first half featured several controversial moments as the home team had three goals disallowed for offside after VAR reviews. Bruno Fernandes and Amad Diallo were among those denied by technology, causing frequent sighs of frustration from the Old Trafford stands. On the other side, Manchester City had set-piece chances but lacked the sharpness to make a difference.

The turning point came in the 65th minute. From a quick counterattack, Bruno Fernandes delivered a clever pass to Bryan Mbeumo, who calmly finished to open the scoring for Manchester United. This goal relieved the pressure and visibly boosted the home side’s confidence.

Just 11 minutes later, the lead doubled. Matheus Cunha assisted Patrick Dorgu, who struck a beautiful volley inside the box; the ball hit the post before settling into the net, making it 2-0. Manchester City’s defense began to show confusion against the pace and coordination of their opponents.

In stoppage time, the derby concluded perfectly for the hosts. At 90+2 minutes, Cunha again made his mark with a through ball to Mason Mount, who scored from close range to seal a 3-0 victory.

The win over Manchester City lifted Manchester United to 35 points after 22 rounds, temporarily closing in on the top 4, trailing Arsenal, Man City, and Aston Villa by a narrow margin.

Meanwhile, the heavy defeat left Manchester City stuck at 43 points, missing the chance to narrow the gap with Arsenal in the title race. The Premier League’s top group situation thus became more intense, as even a single derby was enough to disrupt the usual order.

Team news MU vs Man City

• Manchester United: Absent are Noussair Mazraoui (AFCON), Matthijs de Ligt (back injury), and Shea Lacey (suspended). Bryan Mbeumo and Amad Diallo return after AFCONMichael Carrick is likely to use a four-man defense, considering either Luke Shaw or Patrick Dorgu at left-back, while Kobbie Mainoo competes for a starting spot.
• Manchester City:Josko Gvardiol, Mateo Kovacic, John Stones, Ruben Dias, Oscar Bobb, and Savinho are sidelined due to injuries, while Omar Marmoush is at AFCON. Antoine Semenyo and Rayan Cherki have good chances to start, with Erling Haaland continuing to lead the attack.

Expected lineups MU vs Man City

• Manchester United:Lammens; Dalot, Maguire, Martinez, Shaw; Casemiro, Mainoo; Mbeumo, Fernandes, Cunha; Sesko.
• Manchester City:Donnarumma; Nunes, Khusanov, Alleyne, O’Reilly; Rodri; Bernardo, Cherki, Foden, Semenyo; Haaland.

Form & Head-to-head MU vs Man City

• Manchester City form:In the last 5 matches, Man City won 2, drew 3, and lost none. They scored 14 goals and conceded 3.
• Manchester United form:In the last 5 matches, MU won 1, drew 3, and lost 1. They scored 6 goals and conceded 6.
• Head-to-head record:In the last 5 encounters, MU won 2, drew 1, and lost 2. Meanwhile, Man City also won 2, drew 1, and lost 2.