Michael Carrick couldn’t have asked for a better start to his interim managerial reign as Manchester United claimed a crucial 2-0 victory over Manchester City on Saturday, dealing a significant blow to their rivals’ Premier League title aspirations.
United dominated at Old Trafford, and though they had three goals ruled out for offside, they were only made to wait until the final 25 minutes to seal the win, thanks to an inspired performance from Gianluigi Donnarumma in goal.
Bryan Mbeumo, returning from the African Cup of Nations (AFCON), fired home the opening goal, and Patrick Dorgu wrapped up United’s second win in eight matches, lifting Carrick’s men into the top four.
The victory also provides a boost to Arsenal, who can extend their lead at the top of the Premier League to nine points later on Saturday when they face Nottingham Forest. It’s a result that will be celebrated as much in north London as in Manchester.
Carrick’s tactical gamble paid off, with both Benjamin Sesko and Matheus Cunha making way for Mbeumo and Amad Diallo, who were back from international duty. Harry Maguire also made his first start in two months and should have opened the scoring within two minutes, but his header from Bruno Fernandes’ corner crashed off the crossbar.
City, already struggling with injuries at the back, fielded an inexperienced centre-back pairing of Max Alleyne and Abdukodir Khusanov, and they were under constant pressure. Only the brilliance of Donnarumma in goal kept the scoreline intact, with the Italian making key saves throughout the match.
Donnarumma’s first significant intervention came midway through the first half, where he parried Dorgu’s shot away. Although United had the ball in the net twice before the break, both Diallo and Fernandes were flagged offside.
Guardiola made a double substitution at half-time, bringing on Nico O’Riley and Raya Cherki in a bid to turn the tide, but City’s title challenge has faded with a four-match winless run in the Premier League since the new year.
United’s persistence finally paid off in the 65th minute. A poor free-kick from Cherki allowed United to counter, and Fernandes threaded a perfect pass for Mbeumo, who slotted the ball low past Donnarumma for the opener.
Cunha, introduced from the bench, made it 2–0 with a clever finish after Dorgu capitalized on some sloppy defending by City’s Rico Lewis to score at the back post.
Guardiola, perhaps resigned to his side’s fate, withdrew Erling Haaland with 10 minutes to go, likely conserving the striker for City’s ongoing battles across four competitions. Diallo nearly capped a brilliant individual performance when he struck the post in the dying moments.
Mason Mount came off the bench and assisted Cunha with his first touch, but VAR ruled out the goal for offside, much to City’s relief.
However, the damage had already been done to their title hopes, leaving Carrick to savor a memorable victory in his first match at the helm of Manchester United.
AFP
