MANCHESTER UNITED could not win their final derby of the season with a 0-0 draw at home to Man City.
Ruben Amorim’s men huffed and puffed but ultimately could not find a way through to goal at Old Trafford.
The result leaves them 13th in the table, one point above Tottenham.
But United are also four off 12th-place Brentford and seven from the top half.
And any hopes of European football are now set to rest on their chances in the Europa League.
So just who had a good game at the Theatre of Dreams today?
And did anyone have a game to forget?
Here, SunSport’s Ken Lawrence delivers his Man United player ratings…
ANDRE ONANA – 5
There are always more questions than answers over the form of the Cameroonian ‘keeper but this was a calmer display from him.
Erratic or not, he reacted well to flick away a Casemiro header from a City corner that looked bound for his own net.
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His shot–stopping, even if he didn’t have to deal with anything that challenging from a mainly tame City attack minus Erling Haaland, was tidy and decisive.
But one save from Omar Marmoush was pure show-boating.
NOUSSAIR MAZRAOUI – 6
Dependable, flexible, not brilliant but certainly never bad and playing as a right–sided defender produced a great tackle to deny Phil Foden.
Spent most of the game taking responsibility for guarding the dangerous Omar Marmoush and made a pretty good fist of it.
His strengths – why he was bought – are still more as a wing back because he has a bit of pace as well as intelligence but got no chance to show those qualities.
HARRY MAGUIRE – 5
Sometimes looks like he turns slower than a supertanker but he does love a tackle – like the belter early on that denied Omar Marmoush.
Perhaps his biggest problem is that he’s not a footballing central defender – his weight of passing can be as unpredictable as the intended direction and he had a lot of the ball in this one.
Hooked in favour of Victor Lindelof early in the second half clearly suffering from a niggle and with eyes on Thursday’s Europa League visit to Lyon.
LENY YORO – 6
Has begun to show that he could be an inspired buy after settling down following his £52.2M summer arrival from Lille.
The French international, remember, is still only 19 but he’s learning fast in a far more furious and competitive environment than Ligue 1.
Long–term Ruben Amorim is bound to envisage him as the central figure in his back three alongside Lisandro Martinez and Matthijs de Ligt.
DIOGO DALOT – 6
Loves the challenge Ruben Amorim sets as part of the 3-4-3 system that has seemed like a tactical foreign language to quite a few in the squad
Up against a very tricky youngster in Nico O’Reilly, he had a tough time containing him at first but his far greater experience began to tell.
Took up some really aggressive positions when United had the ball and his deliveries from wide right caused the City defence a good few problems.
CASEMIRO – 4
The 33-year-old has been looking more sprightly of late but once again he looked like a pensioner at times.
His passing from deep was loose and often dropped those around him into brown stuff while his relationship with Manuel Ugarte alongside him was almost non-existent.
Almost certainly on the way out at Old Trafford – certainly from the manager’s main picks – next season, although he still has two years of his £350,000 a week contract to run.
MANUEL UGARTE – 4
The last of ex-boss Erik ten Hag’s buys at £42.1million from Paris Saint-Germain and it’s still taking time for him to find his feet.
In fact too often the Uruguayan’s feet just weren’t quick enough to cope with the fast transitions that his manager is demanding from his two central midfielders.
Even in a deeply uninspiring encounter that was supposed to be a local derby but lacked any fire he struggled to make any impact.
PATRICK DORGU – 5
Hasn’t exactly been Danish dynamite since his £25M move from Lecce and the 20 year old still has plenty of learning to do.
Yet the wing back certainly does give United a physical presence on the left, although he needs to calm down when his overlaps present him with shooting chances.
One effort in particular mid-way through the first half was fourth division stuff. Young or not, inexperienced or not he has to up his game
3
BRUNO FERNANDES – 8
United’s Captain Marmite was named Prem Premier League Player of the Month for March just before kick–off.
He was player of this match, too, where he never stopped working, even if he didn’t have much to beat in a dull, dull affair
Often his vision is just too sophisticated for some team-mates who never will be able to lace the boots of a player who, as usual, covered every blade of grass.
RASMUS HOJLUND – 3
Took him 21 games to collect his eighth goal of the season for United, swiftly followed by one for Denmark, but in last week’s 1-0 defeat at Nottingham Forest looked as lost as ever again.
As he once more did here although his turn and flick to send Alejandro Garnacho through right at the start showed real centre forward awareness.
But the story, mainly, remains the same for the £72M striker who may not have set that price but will probably never live up to it.
ALEJANDRO GARNACHO – 7
At some stage, surely, he’ll gain more composure – when to shoot and when to pass to team mates better–placed.
As maddening as the 20 year old can be he does have pace and aggression and just after 30 seconds was brought down by Ruben Dias’s desperate challenge on the edge of the City box.
Ran at the opposition defence all the way through and whistled one superb strike just wide – a constant threat who may frustrate at times but still gets Stretford End bums off seats.
SUBS :
VICTOR LINDELOF (for Maguire 58) – 6
Understood to be on his way this summer but looked decent.
JOSHUA ZIRKZEE (for Hojlund 71) – 5
Pulled out a great save from Ederson and still has fans’ backing.
MASON MOUNT (for Ugarte 71 ) – 5
Gaining fitness now and could figure as a starter in Lyon on Thursday.
