Match report: Man Utd 2-0 Man City

On 64 minutes Michael Carrick’s second tenure went electric as Manchester United scored a classic breakaway goal by Bryan Mbeumo that sent the interim head coach berserk in the technical area.

After a clearing Harry Maguire header, the ball evaded Rayan Cherki and Bruno Fernandes galloped forward. He had Amad Diallo to the right and Patrick Dorgu and Mbeumo on the left; United’s streetwise captain delayed the pass expertly, then found the Cameroonian, whose finish beat Gianluigi Donnarumma with ease.

Old Trafford – the blue zone apart – went into near combustion, the atmosphere supercharged as the neighbours from across town went behind in the 198th derby.

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“Not sure if Carrick actually set up as a counter-attacking team,” writes Francis Mead. “It’s just that City are very good at keeping possession and you play with as much possession as you can get.

“I guess it’s a chicken and egg discussion, but I still feel he didn’t set out to be merely counter-attacking - we did have spells where we were moving forward in numbers.”

That’s a fair point. Maybe it was more about being ultra-aggressive whenever they won the ball back. They did defend very deep, which was signposted by the selection of Maguire and Martinez, and that’s usually a feature of a counter-attacking team. But on reflection I probably overstated the point – and ultimately, whatever the approach, when United did attack it was exhilarating to watch.

Michael Carrick walks onto the field to greet his players and applaud the fans. His body language is an understated as ever, but his soul must be singing after that performance – not least because his rope-a-dope tactics worked like a dream.

Finally, when he reaches the tunnel, Carrick lets it all out by punching the air to the United fans.

90+3 min There are a couple of checks for offside but it looks fine to the naked eye.

Mason Mount scores with his first touch after another fabulous break. Amad set Cunha free in the inside-right channel with a simple, penetrative pass. Cunha considered the shot, realised Mount was in a better position at the far post and gave him the goal instead. Clean, clinical football to cap a sensational counter-attacking performance from Manchester United.

90+2 min: Doube change for Man Utd Ayden Heaven and Mason Mount replace Luke Shaw and Bruno Fernandes.

90+1 min Five minutes of added time. I think Donnarumma got a slight but decisive touch on that shot from Amad. If so, it was another remarkable save.

89 min Barring a late homage to Wembley 1999, Man City will have taken only three points from their last four league games. It’s a drama not a crisis, but it has come at a terrible time.

88 min Senne Lammens has made only one save all day, from Alleyne’s header in the first half. Michael Carrick’s rope-a-dope approach has worked almost perfectly; you’d imagine he’ll do something similar at Arsenal next week.

85 min “While I’m aware that even the best managers only stay at their peak for about ten-fifteen years, I somehow thought that Guardiola would buck that trend,” says Kári Tulinius. “This City have none of the fizz that has characterized them for the last decade. They’re flat and stale, and Pep looks bored.”

He’s shredding his legacy at every turn. You think? He looks tired rather than bored to me. Either way, if he wins another Premier or Champions League with City it’ll be among his finest achievements.

84 min Reijnders plays an extremely inviting ball across the six-yard box, but Mukasa is nowhere to be seen and Haaland is on the bench.

82 min “Seems to me that Man United have reverted to what they were pre-Ronaldo’s second coming - a good counter attacking team,” says Nick Smith. “How many years snd millions to get back there?”

I’d be very surprised if they play this way all the time under Michael Carrick. This feels like a bespoke set-up for a game against City.

81 min: Man Utd substitution Manuel Ugarte replaces Casemiro in midfield.

80 min: Triple change for City Tiijani Reijnders, Rayan Ait-Nouri and Divine Mukasa replace Bernardo Silva, Jeremy Doku and … Erling Haaland.

Haaland is cheered and waved off the pitch by the home fans. He looks in urgent need of a week off.

77 min Gary Neville calls this game “probably the best 77 minutes we’ve seen for years on this ground”. While I wouldn’t go that far, United played with the perfect combination of intelligence and intensity.

Cunha ran at O’Reilly on the right, approached the byline and wrapped his foot around an inviting low cross. Dorgu was second favourite at the far post but forced his way in front of Lewis, who was on his heels, and slammed the ball past Donnarumma. That goal sums up a game in which United have wanted it more.

76 min “United have been really good but City have been bang average,” says Niall Mullen. “I feel like that’s worse than the implosion they had last season. If you have a freak run of results then there might be something to fix. But this team just look like they are playing at their level.”

The aura’s gone, hasn’t it?

75 min Lewis pulls back Dorgu and is booked. All four full-backs are on yellow cards now.

74 min If City do drift out of the title race, their away from will be the reason. As things stand (I know, I know) it reads P11 W5 D2 L4.

73 min Casemiro goes down holding his coupon after an aerial challenge with Haaland. Any contact looked accidental and Casemiro is soon back on his feet.

72 min Cunha’s first contribution is an important tackle on Bernardo Silva in the D. Michael Carrick may be an undemonstrative figure but his team are playing with an intensity that would have Roy Keane purring. Literally.

71 min: Man Utd substitution Matheus Cunha replaces the goalscorer Bryan Mbeumo.

70 min If it stays like this City could be nine points behind Arsenal by sundown. I’m not sure they’re coming back from that.

69 min “One of the best sights in football is the counter attack, especially 4 on 2 version,” writes Matthew Lysaght. “Glorious.”

It’s in United’s DNA!

68 min Amad, who has been terrific, drags a right-foot shot well wide from a tight angle after another lightning break from United.

A City free-kick was headed away by Maguire, injury or no injury, and in the blink of an eye United had a four-on-two break. Bruno Fernandes carried the ball to within 30 yards of goal, eschewed the simpler pass to Amad in the inside-right channel and instead put Mbeumo through on goal to his left.

Mbeumo faced up to Donnarumma and swept a firm, low shot into the far corner. That’s a superb counter-attacking goal, one that has been in the post all day.

64 min Maguire is limping, and has a slight cut on his right knee, after an accidental tangle of legs with Haaland. He’s going to continue for now.

63 min: Another good save by Inspector Gadget! Fernandes’s deep cross bounces up awkwardly at Mbeuno, who reacts superbly to redirect it towards goal from eight yards. Donnarumma changes direction and pushes it away to his left.

61 min The pace of this game is terrific. As a neutral it has been a lot of fun to watch.

57 min Casemiro takes a quick free-kick to put Fernandes through on goal. He’s offside and miscontrols the ball anyway.

56 min “You know the 115 charges?” asks Paul Griffin. “Did they do away? Or is it like the movie Yesterday, except only person in the world remembers The Court of Arbitration for Sport, rather than John, Paul, George and Ringo? (I don’t see how the protagonist gets the girl on this plot.) Or did I miss the news one day? Oh boy.”

Well I just had to laugh.

55 min City know that a draw is of little value and they’ve upped the pace since half-time. Haaland has another shot blocked, this time at source by Maguire, after a pass from Cherki.

54 min: Fine defending by Martinez! A horrible pass from Dalot goes straight to Semenyo 25 yards from goal. He screws a first-time pass into the area for Haaland, whose shot on the run is brilliantly blocked by the sliding Martinez. The ball deflects over the bar and the resulting corner is claimed with authority by Lammens.

52 min “I made a mistake: Man Ciry haven’t bought on Ait Nouri,” begins Zafar Sobhan. “Oh really? No. O’Reilly.”

51 min City are starting to settle back into their passing rhythm, with United trying to pick their moment to win the ball back and then counter. The clash of styles is fascinating to watch.

48 min O’Reilly (not Ait-Nouri, my mistake) dawdles on the ball and is dispossed by Amad. O’Reilly pulls him back and is booked.

47 min “Manchester United are looking like a serious football team again,” writes Gary Naylor. “Is it too soon to declare that the Emperor Reuben did indeed have no clothes?”

Far too soon, Gary, and you’re better than that.

46 min A double change for City at half-time: Rayan Cherki and Nico O’Reilly are on for Max Alleyne and Phil Foden. That means Nathan Ake will move to centre-back.

United pour forward from the kick off and Dalot angles a dangerous low cross that just evades three red shirts at the far post.

“City are playing the long game here,” writes Edan Tal. “Let United get on top and win this one. Make sure Carrick gets a four-year contract. Keep the United misery spiral churning for a few more years.”

So that’s why they kept losing to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

We’ve just seen a few replays of the Dalot challenge on Doku in the 11th minute. The more you see it, the worse it gets, and the consensus is that VAR should have sent Anthony Taylor to the monitor. It wasn’t malicious – Dalot was going for, and won, a bouncing ball – but he could have done serious damage to Doku’s knee.

“I’m no expert on red cards,” deadpans Roy Keane in the Sky studio, “but I think it’s a red.”

Half-time reading

45+2 min Rodri, who looks short of a gallop by his stratospheric standards, is booked for a foul on Dorgu.

45 min Two minutes of added time. Michael Carrick will be pretty pleased with how things have gone; there’s no doubt that, for all City’s possession, United have been the more dangerous team.

44 min The pattern of the game is fairly similar to Man Utd’s last home derby victory three years ago, when City dominated possession but were stung by some deadly counter-attacks. United scored an offside goal as well, although on that occasion it was allowed to stand.

42 min: No goal It was really tight, about a quarter of Fernandes’s foot, but he was offside and the goal is ruled out. George Graham’s offside trap is working a treat.

41 min: Another disallowed goal for United! Bruno Fernandes runs onto a superb long pass by Martinez and goes round Donnarumma. He almost overruns the ball and has to cut back inside, away from the sliding Ake, before slapping the ball into the net with industrial quantities of glee.

This time the offside looks a lot tighter.

39 min After an extended spell of City pressure, Semenyo whips a left-foot shot towards goal from the edge of the area. He doesn’t get enough curl on it and it drifts wide of the far post.

36 min: Chance for City Lammens gives away a cheap corner by fingerbrushing an overhit cross from Doku that was going wide anyway. It almost leads to a City goal: Foden curls it deep, it’s headed back across and then nodded towards goal from 10 yards by Alleyne. It’s kept out by a combination of the diving Lammens and Dalot on the line.

34 min: No goal The decision is confirmed and the match remains goalless, for now.

33 min: Disallowed goal for Man Utd! Fernandes slips a simple ball through to Amad, who swaggers past Donnarumma to score. And then the flag goes up.

It’ll be checked but it looks offside to the naked eye. Goal or no goal, Man Utd are causing City a lot of problems in transition.

32 min Rodri plays a blind pass straight to Fernandes on the edge of the area. He tries to find Mbeumo and Khusanov makes a vital interception.

I think Mbeumo was flagged offside, but replays suggest he was on. Fernandes needed to put a bit more weight on the pass.

31 min Doku slips Casemiro on the edge of the area and lashes a shot that is blocked by Mainoo.

Still not many clear chances but it’s been a fast-paced and reasonably exciting game.

30 min Excellent defensive work from Doku, who intercepts crucially when Amad jinks past Ake in the area.

29 min “Rob, perhaps you could pass along this tip to Ian Copestake in case he decides in the end to watch Arsenal rather than Man City?” writes Charles Antaki. “He should take a piece of cardboard, about the size of his computer/TV screen and make cut out templates of Martin Ødegaard, Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka, and move it about to follow them as they jink/shimmy/charge about the field. That will maximise the entertainment value. Arsenal fans have no need of that of course, except for a bespoke version which has cut-outs for everybody of the team, except for perhaps the chap up front.”

26 min Doku runs at Dalot to win a corner for City. Nothing comes of it. Erling Haaland has had four touches, the fewest of any player on the pitch. (His opposite number Mbeumo has only had five, though.)

24 min That was a good rather than great save from Donnarumma, but it was another demonstration of his almost supernatural reactions. He is an extraordinary shot-stopper.

22 min: Fine save by Donnarumma! Fernandes, on the right wing, cuts across a wonderful long pass towards Mbeumo and Dorgu in the City area. Mbeumo lets the ball run for Dorgu, who takes a touch on the run and hits an early shot back across goal. Donnarumma reacts very smartly, diving to his left to push it away.

20 min Maguire and Bernardo Silva have a bit of a wrestling match, or rather a wrestling mismatch, when the ball rolls out of play for a United goalkick. Maguire was shepherding the ball out of play; Bernardo had other ideas.

19 min Mainoo sprays a nice pass out to Dalot, who moves into the space but then overhits the simplest of passes to the overlapping Amad. Oops.

17 min Shaw is booked for a foul on Rodri. United’s players are kicking off with the refeferee because they thought Dorgu had been fouled on the edge of the area by Khusanov moments earlier.

15 min Semenyo runs at Shaw and clips a flat cross into the middle. The leaping Bernardo Silva heads over from eight yards, an awkward but still pretty decent chance.

13 min Haaland’s through ball to Foden is crucially intercepted by Shaw, 10 yards from his own goal. That’s superb defending because he read the pass before it had been played and angled his defensive run accordingly.

11 min Dalot is booked for a high tackle on Doku, who is rolling around in pain. Dalot won the ball and then followed through onto Doku’s knee with his studs. The relative lack of force means it stays as a yellow card.

10 min City are dominating possession, which suits both teams. Mbeumo isn’t a natural No9 when you have a lot of the ball but in a game like this his pace and movement make him a real threat.

6 min After a slip from Alleyne, who is understandably nervous, Donnarumma has to fly out of his area to make a slide tackle on Mbeumo. There’s a cracking pace to this game.

3 min Man Utd have started in a 4-2-3-1 formation, with Mbeumo up front. Dorgu, the left-winger, fires an excellent low cross that is turned behind for a corner by Khusanov.

2 min “How many times have we heard people say that United have still never actually replaced Carrick in midfield?” asks Matt Dony. “If United need to shore up the centre, could there possibly be anything funnier than seeing Carrick look along the bench, shake his head, and bring himself on?”

I love Michael Carrick but I’d say that’s a bit harsh on Casemiro, particularly the version who drove United to third place and the Carabao Cup in his first season. That said, I’m not sure who I’d back if Carrick and Casemiro revived the Rumbelows Sprint Challenge.

1 min City kick off from right to left as we watch. There’s a fine atmosphere at Old Trafford – not exactly Everton 1983, but loud by 21st-century standards.

“Dearest of Robs,” writes Ian Copestake, “while I have no fish in this water I do wonder if you were forced into a room with only a subscription and a TV and requested to watch either Arsenal or Man City what would be your preference? I guess I am poking the bear of City as sterile dominators. But Arsenal’s style I don’t really know about.”

Any chance I could just watch Jacob Bethell on loop instead?

The teams are in the tunnel. These teams.

Man Utd (possible 4-2-3-1) Lammens; Dalot, Maguire, Martinez, Shaw; Casemiro, Mainoo; Amad, Fernandes, Dorgu; Mbeumo.

Subs: Bayindir, Heaven, Malacia, Yoro, J Fletcher, Mount, Ugarte, Cunha, Sesko.

Man City (4-3-3) Donnarumma; Lewis, Khusanov, Alleyne, Ake; Bernardo Silva, Rodri, Foden; Semenyo, Haaland, Doku.

Subs: Trafford, Bettinelli, Reijnders, Cherki, Ait-Nouri, O’Reilly, McAidoo, Mukasa, Mfuni.

Referee Anthony Taylor.

‘An embarrassment of interregna’

One of these days, Tim de Lisle will write something about Manchester United that isn’t worth reading. But it hasn’t happened yet.

“I don’t agree with leaving Cunha and Sesko out,” says Joshua Keeling. “Surely in a game when you will have limited chances, you should pick all of your most dangerous players, who are most likely to take those chances for you? That said, I can see the plan - sit deep and play on the break. I hope it works - it’s worked against Guardiola before. Come on United.”

I can understand leaving Sesko out for this game but I expected Cunha to play as the No9 – as much for his personality as his ability to carry the ball.

Michael Carrick is the first manager of United or City to begin a spell in charge with a Manchester derby.

This is how Man Utd’s post-Fergie managers fared in their first derby; all were Premier League games.

• David Moyes 1-4 (A) 2013-14

• Louis van Gaal 0-1 (A) 2014-15

• Jose Mourinho 1-2 (H) 2016-17

• Ole Gunnar Solskjaer 0-2 (H) 2018-19

• Ralf Rangnick 1-4 (A) 2021-22

• Erik ten Hag 3-6 (A) 2022-23

• Ruben Amorim 2-1 (A) 2024-25

Pep Guardiola’s pre-match thoughts

[On Man Utd’s tactics] No, I don’t know. They could play with a four or a back five; they could play with a false nine or Mbeumo up front. I’d love to know but we have to focus on ourselves.

[On the importance Rodri’s return] It’s not news! He’s so important. He was out for a long time, then he had a setback. We’re trying to manage his recovery.

City have a fine record at Old Trafford under Pep Guardiola: P11 W7 D2 L3. The last of those defeats was on the same weekend three years ago. It left City in big trouble in the title race, five points behind Arsenal having played a game more. They did the Treble that season.

Manchester United, without a permanent head coach or European football and knocked out of both domestic cups at the first time of asking, are facing another bleak season. In the almost 13 years since Sir Alex Ferguson left, the club have struggled to find stability, with his shadow stretching down from the directors’ box to the dugout, emphasised by the stand named in his honour staring back.

Manchester City arrive at Old Trafford on Saturday in the opposite position, having had Pep Guardiola in post for a decade, amassing 18 major trophies. Michael Carrick will take charge of United for the first time since being appointed until the end of the season at a club who appear to be without a functioning long-term plan. This will be a campaign of only 40 competitive games for United, their fewest since 1914-15, with some fans thankful for being able to cut down on trudging visits. So is this, in the post-Ferguson era, the lowest of the lows?

“It is all too easy to make mistaken inferences unless the process involved is already very well understood.” Francis Crick, molecular biologist

“This club is about winning, winning and winning again. It’s in our DNA.” Álvaro Arbeloa

You return in a blaze of glory, speaking of home and familiar feelings, feted in an official statement as one of the club’s “greatest legends”, entrusted with reinventing the riches of the past for a new footballing age. You leave in a maelstrom of snide briefings and chaotic performances, after losing a power struggle with star players and falling out of favour with the club’s godlike president. Let’s just say that Xabi Alonso got the full Real Madrid experience in his eight months as coach.

Obviously Alonso was appropriately reverent in his exit statement, expressing his gratitude for the opportunity, describing it as “an honour”. No point in burning your bridges when there’s every chance you might get invited back: after all, one of the more underrated ways of getting yourself hired as Real Madrid coach in the future is having done the job in the past.

The three ages of Michael Carrick at Old Trafford

23 August 2006, Charlton 0-3 Manchester United The 25‑year‑old new signing was eased into United’s midfield as a second-half substitute in the second game of the season, having picked up a small injury on the pre‑season tour. With Wayne Rooney and Paul Scholes suspended, Sir Alex Ferguson started with John O’Shea and Darren Fletcher in central midfield, with the Scot (sporting a mullet) opening the scoring after Ryan Giggs and Cristiano Ronaldo had hit the woodwork. Carrick was one of four future United managers in the side, alongside Fletcher, Giggs and Ole Gunnar Solskjær, who rounded off the win with a late goal after Louis Saha had doubled United’s lead. Solskjær’s goal was his first in the league in three injury-hit years, and the Norwegian, also a substitute, should have had another when Carrick squared a perfect pass to the striker, only for Charlton’s Scott Carson to make an outstanding save. With Carrick an instant success at United that season, the club roared to the title in May 2007, their first in four years.

Manchester United (4-4-2) Van der Sar; Brown, Ferdinand, Silvestre, Evra; Ronaldo, O’Shea, Fletcher, Park (Carrick 77); Giggs (Solskjær 82), Saha. Subs not used Kuszczak, Rossi, Richardson.

Manchester City are closing in on ­signing Marc Guéhi from ­Crystal Palace. The centre-back’s ­contract expires at the end of the season and Palace have accepted an offer of £20m.

Palace’s manager, Oliver Glasner, said on Friday that the deal was in its final stages, on a day when he also revealed he would be leaving the club in the summer. Guéhi, he said, would not be involved in Palace’s game at Sunderland on Saturday. “I can’t ­confirm a club, because it’s still not done, but it’s in the final stages,” Glasner said. “The result is that Marc doesn’t play tomorrow for us.”

The England international almost joined Liverpool in the summer before Palace pulled out of the deal. Personal terms are not thought to be an issue for Guéhi, who has said he would not extend his Palace deal.

City have injuries in central defence. Rúben Dias is out with a hamstring injury, Josko Gvardiol has a tibial fracture and John Stones, who is unlikely to have his contract renewed in the summer, is out with a thigh problem. Pep Guardiola was forced to recall the 20-year-old Max Alleyne from a loan at Watford to help alleviate the shortage.

Michael Carrick has refused to rule out becoming Manchester United’s permanent head coach at the end of the season, with the interim denying the club has become “soulless”.

Carrick was appointed as Ruben Amorim’s replacement on Tuesday, briefed with overseeing United’s final 17 games of the season. He arrived after Darren Fletcher’s two-game spell in charge that took in a Premier League draw at Burnley and an FA Cup third-round defeat by Brighton at Old Trafford.

United wish to assess several candidates for the permanent head coach role in the summer. Thomas Tuchel, Carlo Ancelotti, Roberto De Zerbi, Andoni Iraola, and Oliver Glasner, who confirmed on Friday he will leave Crystal Palace at the end of the season, are among the names in the frame.

Carrick played for United for 12 years, was a coach for three years before departing in December 2021, having also managed the team for three matches after Ole ­Gunnar ­Solskjær’s sacking in November that year, and indicated on Friday that he wants his return to the club to be long term.

“I’m here because I enjoy the role and I wanted to do it and I’m hugely privileged to be in this position,” said the 44-year-old. “It doesn’t change whatever the term or whatever the length.”