Manchester United scored two late goals as they produced one of the comeback football scores of the weekend in the Premier League. When Jack Grealish came off the bench and put the visitors in ahead, City appeared poised to defeat United in back-to-back derbies (60). To the chagrin of City’s players, a VAR review later cleared Rashford of being offside in the lead-up to Bruno Fernandes’ equalizer (78), but four minutes later, the England winger headed in Alejandro Garnacho’s cross to score for a ninth straight goal on his home field.
Erik ten Hag’s team has improved greatly since those early days and is currently third in the table, just a point behind their local rivals and six off leaders Arsenal, heading into the North London derby on Sunday. City’s 6-3 thrashing of United in October had served as a sobering reality check after a four-game Premier League winning streak, but Erik ten Hag’s team has developed significantly since those early days. Pep Guardiola has had two bad results this week, losing in his 500th Premier League game as manager and his team losing just days earlier at Southampton in the Carabao Cup. Prior to Grealish’s goal, this was yet another lackluster effort, and with four points dropped from four games since the World Cup’s conclusion, their match against Tottenham on Thursday.
Following recent lapses to Southampton, Everton, and Brentford, Guardiola had lambasted his team for losing their focus against weaker opponents this season. However, facing their archrivals on the biggest platform on Saturday, City was once more lacking in sharpness. Early on, Kyle Walker, Joao Cancelo, and Manuel Akanji were among the players who gave the ball away needlessly. An anxious City nearly paid the price when Bernardo Silva missed a pass in the middle of the field, setting off a United attack that resulted in Fernandes’ wide-range shot.
A more erratic play was made by Ederson, who in 35 minutes rushed out of his area only to see Rashford take it around him. Rashford came through again a moment later, this time over-running Walker’s drive into the area before pushing a shot at Ederson, saving his save with a block on Rashford’s goal-bound shot on that occasion. Despite having nearly 69 percent of the play in the first half, City struggled to get the ball to Haaland so he could challenge Luke Shaw’s replacement center-back. The closest they came was a determined Walker drive from 35 yards that fizzed over the post just before the halftime siren.
Antony was substituted for Anthony Martial, a centre striker who appeared to have taken a knock, at halftime with new loan signing Wout Weghorst watching but unable to participate. However, it was a City substitution that proved crucial. When Phil Foden was replaced, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, the United right-back who was under pressure, was immediately more vulnerable. During the setup, Kevin De Bruyne displayed excellent skill by moving towards the right side of the penalty area and setting up a tempting cross for Grealish to nod in.
When Grealish scored his second Premier League goal of the season and sixth goal in his City career, Ten Hag’s decision to not pitch benched captain Harry Maguire was called into question. Maguire would have undoubtedly headed the danger away. Even though the ball was directly at Rashford’s feet after a Casemiro pass-through, the striker didn’t touch it, and Fernandes stepped in to curl the ball in from the edge of the box.
City was furious, but VAR determined Rashford wasn’t offside because he hadn’t touched the ball or made contact with the City defenders. Soon after, he put United third and sent a clear message about this team’s title hopes by putting Garnacho’s low cross past Ederson from close range for his eighth goal in seven games. The strike sent the home crowd into a frenzy.
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