Manchester United secured the most dramatic of 2-1 victories over rivals Manchester City on Sunday.
Having fallen behind to Josko Gvardiol’s first-half header, United looked set to taste defeat before City collapsed in spectacular fashion once again. Bruno Fernandes netted from the spot with five minutes to go, moments before Amad Diallo tapped home a winner to hand Pep Guardiola’s side an eighth defeat in their last 11 games.
How the game unfolded
Man City set out to dominate possession early on but United pressed well and frustrated their hosts, although their cause was hampered 14 minutes in when Mason Mount slumped to the turf and ultimately limped off injured.
It took 21 minutes for the first shot to arrive. Phil Foden collected the ball on the edge of the penalty area and fizzed a volley wide of Andre Onana’s post. The Englishman saw another effort deflected wide soon after and Ruben Dias headed over from the ensuing corner.
Amad’s blushes were spared when the sight off the offside flag saw everyone quickly move on from the fact he had just dragged a one-on-one with Ederson wide in what was unofficially United’s first chance.
With ten minutes remaining in the half, City took the lead. A deflected cross fizzed into the box and was met perfectly by Gvardiol, who steered his header into the back of the net to put City ahead at the interval.
There was more life about United in the second half and Ederson was finally involved in proceedings as he pulled out a diving save to deny Amad, whose effort was going wide and left United still searching for their first shot on target.
Fernandes should have tied things up with 17 minutes to go when he was played in behind by Hojlund, but the captain’s chipped effort was scuffed agonisingly wide of the post.
Kobbie Mainoo headed over as United’s search for an equaliser entered the final ten minutes but, with five minutes to go, they were rewarded with a penalty when a poor back-pass from Matheus Nunes sent Amad through on goal. His desperate retreat ultimately saw Nunes clatter into the United winger and concede a penalty. Up stepped Fernandes, who made no mistake.
The City collapse levelled up almost straight after when Amad managed to flick the ball around a helpless Ederson and send a volley trickling over the line in the dying embers to seal a stunning three points.
The biggest talking point of the afternoon came before the game even began with the revelation that Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho had both been left out of the matchday squad.
Amorim confirmed ahead of kick-off that his decision had been made based on “everything”, rather than any injury fears. The new boss may be unfamiliar with his new surroundings but he will have been under no illusion as to what response such a choice would generate.
Just how this will impact things behind the scenes remains to be seen, but on the pitch, there’s no denying United were left short in attack for the most part, with Antony the only wide forward on the bench. Amorim will hope that omitting Rashford and Garnacho sparks a significant long-term change – one way or another.
City went back to the famous 3-2-4-1 setup they introduced last season in the search of some defensive solidarity. For about 85 minutes, the results were largely positive.
Unfortunately, as seems to be the case with City these days, one lapse of concentration proved catastrophic. Nunes, playing as an auxiliary left-back, not only played the poor back-pass which led to the equaliser, but somehow managed to concede the penalty as well.
With the pressure ramped up, City once again let things get worse for themselves when Amad chased a lost cause and somehow managed to round Ederson and tap home. Guardiola simply cannot catch a break.
There was definitely some good fortune about City’s opening goal – Kevin De Bruyne’s cross took a clear deflection off Amad – but United simply cannot escape the fact that they were once again beaten by a corner routine.
The deflection may have wrong-footed Diogo Dalot and Rasmus Hojlund, neither of whom were in the right place when the ball came in, but at least one of them should have been able to offer some form of challenge to Gvardiol, who rose uncontested and steered his header home with ease.
Amorim tried to implement some form of set-piece defence as Hojlund spent most of his time trying to slow dance with Erling Haaland, but clearly there is more work to be done.
United were far from their best here but you could see something in them, particularly after Amorim had the chance to get into his players at half-time.
The Red Devils looked up for the fight in the second half, and while they needed some good fortune to get back into the game, it’s hard to argue they did not deserve it. United never gave up and ran until the final whistle, and their equaliser was merited.
While City were floundering, United could smell blood and then went charging forwards for a winner, and it was Amad who rewarded Amorim’s faith once again with one of the most important goals of the entire season.
Amorim’s arrival has had an excellent impact on Mason Mount, who looks to have benefited from the new boss’ all-action approach to proceedings. Unfortunately, his momentum has once again been halted by injury.
With neither Rashford for Garnacho in the squad, it was Bruno Fernandes who was pushed further forward on the team sheet, with Kobbie Mainoo entering the fray and partnering Manuel Ugarte in the deeper role.
This will only heighten the focus on Rashford and Garnacho’s future with this team, with United lacking in attacking areas if Mount faces any extended spell on the sidelines.
