Manchester United 2-0 Manchester City: Anthony Martial and Scott McTominay make the most of Ederson’s miserable day as Red Devils do the double over rivals to keep up Champions League push

• Anthony Martial gave Manchester United the lead in the 30th minute at Old Trafford on Sunday afternoon 
• The Frenchman fired home from a clever Bruno Fernandes free kick beyond Manchester City keeper Ederson 
• The hosts were denied a penalty after Fred was brought down by Nicolas Otamendi in the first half 
• Sergio Aguero had an early second half goal ruled out after being in a marginal offside position 
• Scott McTominay capitalised on a late Ederson error to double United’s lead in the dying seconds 

Ignore for a moment the fact that this victory may bring forward a date with a dreaded destiny, this was a huge performance, and an even bigger win for Manchester United.

Yes, it may have altered the date Liverpool win the league by more than two weeks – to March 21 at home to Crystal Palace if they can win at Goodison Park against Everton the preceding Monday – but this was a significant result for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and his players. It is the first season they have done the league double over their city rivals since 2009-10, and only the second time they have beaten them at Old Trafford in the last decade.

And it was deserved. City had the bulk of the ball, and laid siege when chasing the game in the second-half, but United defended smartly, impressed on the counter attack and Solskjaer is now getting a tune out of Anthony Martial, whose winner was his fourth goal in five games. Nobody can say he hasn’t filled Marcus Rashford’s shoes in those matches, and credit to Solskjaer and his coaching team for that. Without doubt, Martial has grown in this recent spell. 

Strikes from Scott McTominay and Anthony Martial earned Manchester United a huge 2-0 win over Manchester City

The Scottish midfielder fired home from range after an Ederson error allowed the Manchester United man an easy finish

Martial gave United a first half lead after firing home from a Bruno Fernandes cross beyond City goalkeeper Ederson

The Frenchman kept his cool to slot home and hand United a deserved lead having enjoyed the better of the chances

United players congratulate their team-mate after taking a first half lead against arch rivals City on Sunday afternoon

Sunday’s win ensured United kept pace with Chelsea in the race to qualify for the Champions League this season

Manchester United (3-5-2): De Gea; Maguire, Lindelof, Shaw; Williams (Bailly 78), Wan-Bissaka, Matic, Fred, Fernandes (Ighalo 88); James, Martial (McTominay 78)

Subs not used: Greenwood, Mata, Romero, Tuanzebe

Goals: Martial (30), McTominay (90+6)

Booked: Fred

Manager: Ole Gunnar Solskjaer

Manchester City: (4-3-3): Ederson; Cancelo, Otamendi, Fernandinho, Zinchenko (Mendy 77); B Silva (Mahrez 59), Rodri, Gundogan; Foden, Sterling, Aguero (Jesus 59)

Subs not used: Bravo, Garcia, Silva, Walker

Goals: NA

Booked: Fernandinho, Rodri

Manager: Pep Guardiola

Referee: Mike Dean

Season at a glance

So desperate were City for their equaliser that, in the final minute of injury time, Ederson – who had a very poor game – completely overcooked a quick, counter-attacking throw intended for Nicolas Otamendi, which fell to Scott McTominay, He struck it first time back towards the unguarded goal, and United had the winning margin their performance deserved.

For City, this was another setback, the third time they have lost to United this season – including the second leg Carabao Cup tie – and a result that increases their remoteness from the league leaders. They did enough to equalise in the second-half, when Phil Foden and Nicolas Otamendi came close and Raheem Sterling missed an excellent chances from a Riyad Mahrez cross – but United could have had a penalty when Fred was tripped, and Bruno Fernandes has transformed their midfield in a way Paul Pogba never could. This is a team with the potential to go place; but there’s pain to come first, whether on March 21 or whenever the inevitable occurs.

Possession statistics can be misleading. To read them, as the game approached the half hour, it would appear that Manchester City were dominating. Yet, to the naked eye, this was a balanced game. Oleksandr Zinchenko and then Ilkay Gundogan had both made mistakes that could have let Manchester United in, and Nicolas Otamendi was lucky to have escaped a caution having cleaned out Daniel James. So when Bruno Fernandes was brought down by Gundogan outside the City penalty area to the left, there was plainly danger, given the dead ball expertise of United’s January recruit. So it proved.

He’s a smart thinker, Fernandes, and standing over the ball he chose not to try his luck or curl one, but lift the ball in a cheeky lob, up and over the City defence, wrong-footing Sergio Aguero who was the nearest man to Manchester United’s runner, Anthony Martial. What followed was a well-taken goal, but with a sprinkling of luck. Martial took it down sweetly and hit a low shot at the near post, but City goalkeeper Ederson should have done better, beaten at a tight angle in disappointing fashion. Just two minutes later, Fernandes was perhaps too keen to get on the end of a Luke Shaw cross and got underneath it, or City could have been looking at a significant half-time disadvantage.

Ederson had a day to forget having conceded two goals he should have done better in keeping out at Old Trafford

The Brazilian goalkeeper shows his dejection after his second mistake during the Manchester derby on Sunday

Ilkay Gundogan speaks with his goalkeeper after the Brazilian made two uncharacteristic errors in the Manchester derby

United were denied a penalty just before half time after Fred was brought down by City defender Nicolas Otamendi

The home side were incensed as referee Mike Dean gave the Brazilian a yellow card for what he deemed a dive

City striker Sergio Aguero had a second half goal ruled out with the Argentine deemed in an offside position

Ederson almost conceded a trio of goals due to his own errors as Martial snuffed out a lapse in concentration from the keeper

Martial required treatment after colliding with the goalpost as he harried City goalkeeper Ederson at Old Trafford

And it would not have been undeserved, for all their possession. City saw a lot of the ball but United had the better chances. In the 15th minute, Fernandes found James who should have done better with a straightforward shot that Emerson gathered at the second attempt. Soon after, Martial beat Cancelo on the left and cut inside, but his shot was weak and gave Emerson no trouble.

City had complained that the free-kick that led to the goal was soft, but United had far greater cause for complaint shortly before half-time when Fred was brought down in the penalty area by Otamendi. Not only did referee Mike Dean – who has been singing his own praises in recent weeks, for some unknown reason – not give it, he booked Fred for diving.

The second-half began in much the same fashion: City attempting to pass United to death but failing to convince. Cancelo played the ball back to Ederson whose sweeper-keeper leanings were exposed as he miscontrolled in the six yard box and ended up in a 50-50 with Martial, who collided painfully with a post trying to convert his second.

Yet, while this was very much advantage United, it could have been very different had City taken the first opportunity of the game after ten minutes. It came after Shaw made a foolish area, hassled and caught in possession by Aguero. He fed Bernardo Silva inside, who played it across to Raheem Sterling. He had time to size up the target and curl a low shot that David Dea Gea parried out.

Argentine star Aguero puts the pressure on David De Gea in the opening stages at Old Trafford on Sunday

Aaron Wan-Bissaka knocks the ball back to a United team-mate as he operates in a wing-back role for his side

Aguero glides past United captain Harry Maguire but the ball is snuffed out by Nemanja Matic on the weekend

United new boy Bruno Fernandes barks instructions as the hosts look to maintain their disciplined shape at Old Trafford

Fernandes and Oleksandr Zinchenko compete for the ball midway through the first half in Sunday’s clash

City forward Raheem Sterling looks to wriggle past three United defenders and carve out an opening for the visitors

De Gea leaps into the Old Trafford sky to claw away a City effort as the visitors looked to draw level on Sunday

Martial skips past City’s highly talented youngster Phil Foden as he looked to offer his defenders some reprieve

Daniel James blazes a shot over the crossbar to the frustration of Fernandes who was open for the cut back for United

Pep Guardiola cut a frustrated figure as he watched his side fall to another defeat to their rivals on Sunday afternoon

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