Manchester United poured on the misery for flagging Premier League champions Manchester City as late goals by Bruno Fernandes and Amad Diallo snatched an unlikely 2-1 away victory from the jaws of defeat on Sunday.
Ruben Amorim’s side were heading for a third consecutive league defeat as they trailed to Josko Gvardiol‘s header.
But a scrappy derby short of quality had a stunning late twist as a mistake by Matheus Nunes led to a penalty which allowed Fernandes the chance to level from the spot in the 88th minute.
City had hardly got over that shock when seconds later Diallo sent the visiting fans into delirium with a superb finish from the tightest of angles.
City have now won only once in 11 games in all competitions and stay fifth in the table. United move up to 12th.
Neither side started the game brimming with any fluency after bleak recent results and United did not have a shot on target before the interval.
United manager Amorim flexed his muscles ahead of his first Manchester derby, leaving Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho out of his matchday squad and he was then forced to make an early switch as Mason Mount hobbled off after 14 minutes to be replaced by Kobbie Mainoo.
It took 20 minutes for City to muster a shot at goal as Phil Foden‘s half-volley went wide. At the other end Diallo struck the outside of the post with a shot, but he was offside anyway.
City’s fans were becoming restless but the tension lifted around the Etihad Stadium in the 36th minute as, from a short corner, De Bruyne’s cross was deflected and dropped invitingly for Gvardiol to guide a header past André Onana.
It was the eighth goal United have conceded from a corner this season, a figure only topped by Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Tempers boiled over soon afterwards as City’s Kyle Walker and Rasmus Højlund came together like two rutting stags and Walker fell theatrically to the ground, earning both players yellow cards after a melee involving several more.
United kept themselves in the game in the second half and should have equalised when Fernandes was played through on goal but his dinked finish drifted agonisingly wide.
City failed to even have a shot on target after the break and were left devastated as their world collapsed around them.
Nunes’s terrible back pass was seized upon by Diallo and he then compounded the error by hacking down the United player.
Fernandes tucked away the penalty, but worse was still to come for the hosts as Diallo nipped in to grab the winner.
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