Manchester United has inflicted its first defeat on Manchester City since November 21, 2020. In the Etihad Stadium, the team of manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was 0-2 too strong due to goals from Bruno Fernandes and Luke Shaw. The defeat puts an end to an impressive series the Citizens, who managed to win no fewer than 21 games in a row in all competitions. Despite the loss, City still has an eleven point lead over United, the number two in the Premier League.
The game had only been underway for 33 seconds when the ball already hit the spot. Gabriel Jesus made a mistake by knocking down Anthony Martial from behind in the penalty area. Bruno Fernandes signed for the early opening goal from eleven meters. Manchester City goalkeeper Ederson Moraes chose the right corner, but the Portuguese midfielder’s effort was too hard for the final post. The goal after 101 seconds was the fastest goal against City ever in a league game at the Etihad Stadium. Pep Guardiola’s team was able to hunt for the equalizer and took the initiative, but nevertheless the leader of the Premier League was unable to equalize the score.
2 – Today is the first time that both Liverpool and Manchester City have lost a home @premierleague game on the same day since March 3rd, 2007, when Liverpool lost to Man Utd under Rafael Benitez and Man City to Wigan under Stuart Pearce. Rest. pic.twitter.com/9JHXWyAP0u
– OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) March 7, 2021
In the second half, Manchester City knocked on the door more emphatically. Riyad Mahrez was close to the equalizer, but it was United who managed to score. After fifty minutes of play, Marcus Rashford brought the ball to Luke Shaw, who managed to find a hole inside the penalty area and Ederson passed in the far corner. City’s usually tight-knit defense struggled against the Red Devils. Not long after the 0-2, Martial had a huge opportunity to bring the margin to three. The Frenchman was only allowed to go to Ederson, but shot the ball straight at the keeper. With Martial’s refusal to pull the trigger, City kept hopes for a result. In the final phase, the home team also had enough opportunities to do something back, but the ball did not go in for Guardiola’s team.
Substitute Phil Foden still had the best chance for City, which still has to do without Nathan Aké recovering from an injury. With fifteen minutes left on the clock, Foden shot wide from the turn. Not long after, Raheem Sterling missed a big chance of the tying goal. A head chance was then not spent on John Stones. In the final phase, the leader insisted, but without the desired result. Manchester United, where Donny van de Beek was missing from the match selection due to an injury, held up relatively easily in the Manchester Derby. The Solskjaer team is doing excellent business in the battle for Champions League football. Manchester City will have the chance to recover on Wednesday, at home against Southampton.
| No. | Team | M. | W. | G. | V. | +/- | Pnt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Manchester City | 28 | 20 | 5 | 3 | 37 | 65 |
| 2 | Manchester United | 28 | 15 | 9 | 4 | 23 | 54 |
| 3 | Leicester City | 28 | 16 | 5 | 7 | 16 | 53 |
| 4 | Chelsea | 27 | 13 | 8 | 6 | 17 | 47 |
| 5 | Everton | 26 | 14 | 4 | 8 | 6 | 46 |
| 6 | West Ham United | 26 | 13 | 6 | 7 | 9 | 45 |
| 7 | Liverpool | 28 | 12 | 7 | 9 | 11 | 43 |
| 8 | Tottenham Hotspur | 26 | 12 | 6 | 8 | 15 | 42 |
| 9 | Aston Villa | 26 | 12 | 4 | 10 | 11 | 40 |
| 10 | Arsenal | 27 | 11 | 5 | 11 | 7 | 38 |
| 11 | Leeds United | 26 | 11 | 2 | 13 | -1 | 35 |
| 12 | Wolverhampton W. | 28 | 9 | 8 | 11 | -9 | 35 |
| 13 | Crystal Palace | 27 | 9 | 7 | 11 | -14 | 34 |
| 14 | Southampton | 27 | 9 | 6 | 12 | -11 | 33 |
| 15 | Burnley | 28 | 7 | 9 | 12 | -16 | 30 |
| 16 | Newcastle United | 27 | 7 | 6 | 14 | -17 | 27 |
| 17 | Brighton & Hove Albion | 27 | 5 | 11 | 11 | -8 | 26 |
| 18 | Fulham | 28 | 5 | 11 | 12 | -11 | 26 |
| 19 | West Bromwich Albion | 28 | 3 | 9 | 16 | -36 | 18 |
| 20 | Sheffield United | 28 | 4 | 2 | 22 | -29 | 14 |