It just wasn’t Manchester United’s day in the most anticipated Manchester derby in years, as Pep Guardiola’s City took the spoils after a 2-1 victory at Old Trafford.
José Mourinho’s men had been pegged as slight favourites heading into the lunchtime kick-off, but after 40 minutes, it seemed as if there was a gulf in class between the two Manchester sides, as United’s lethargic performance saw them go two behind from goals by Kevin de Bruyne and Kelechi Iheanacho.
Despite Zlatan Ibrahimovic halving the deficit just before the break with a nonchalant volley and an improved performance by the Reds in the second half, United were unable to find an equaliser and if they had done, you would be inclined to believe that they didn’t deserve to get a point from proceedings.
However, things might have changed if several decisions went United’s way. Referee Mark Clattenburg adjudged that Claudio Bravo’s studs-up challenge on Wayne Rooney in the box was fair, while he also failed to spot an apparent handball by City defender Nicolas Otamendi.
Here’s four things we learned from a tough defeat for United:
