Going into tonight’s game, most fans would have expected Manchester City to end Manchester United’s Premier League title hopes as well as their incredible record away from home.
After all, Pep Guardiola’s side have looked unbeatable at times over the past few months. On the other hand, the Red Devils had fallen a bit flat with three goalless draws. But tonight’s performance is exactly what they needed to bring things back on track.
We have seen multiple times before how this team are at their best when they are the underdogs and that is exactly what happened once again.
The Red Devils were handed the best start possible by being handed a penalty early on. And Bruno Fernandes made no mistake, slotting it home and making it 1-0. Even at that point though, most would have expected Guardiola’s in-form side to mount a comeback. Instead, it was Shaw who scored after the break to make it 2-0 and seal all three points for the Red Devils.
Manchester United Player Ratings vs Manchester City
Here’s how we think the players performed against Pep Guardiola’s side:
Dean Henderson – 8
Aaron Wan-Bissaka – 7
Victor Lindelof – 8
Harry Maguire – 8
Luke Shaw – 9
Fred – 7.5
Scott McTominay – 7
Daniel James – 7
Bruno Fernandes – 7.5
Marcus Rashford – 7.5
Anthony Martial – 7.5
Substitutes:
Mason Greenwood – 6
Nemanja Matic – 6
Brandon Williams – 5
A lot has been made about Manchester United’s league record against the traditional ‘Big Six’ this season and this win was a perfect reply. Yes, they might not have beaten them on a consistent basis, but they have not lost many either. It is clear that this team is a very difficult side to play against.
While the attackers might take the most of the plaudits, the defence deserves its fair share of credit as well after keeping four clean sheets on the trot. And Luke Shaw needs to be in the conversation when it comes to being the club’s player of the year, he has been that good.