Manchester United has moved four points clear of Manchester City in the Premier League standings, coming from behind to win 4-2 at Old Trafford.
Sergio Aguero’s early goal was cancelled out by Ashley Young and Marouane Fellaini prior to half-time and Juan Mata and Chris Smalling extended United’s lead with little sympathy shown to the recent woes of their cross-town rivals. Aguero’s second, which came in the 89th minute, was little consolation.
This game featured the usual intensity of a local derby, coupled with its share of awfully careless defending and slack positioning. This will be explained in greater detail later, but the defender exposed with the greatest regularity, was perhaps City’s best – Pablo Zabaleta.
Formations
Louis van Gaal’s 4-1-4-1 featuring Michael Carrick as chief orchestrator behind Ander Herrera and Fellaini, Mata tucked in on the right and Young hugging the left touchline. Marcos Rojo was replaced by Smalling, who was famously sent off in the reverse fixture at the Etihad earlier this season.
Manuel Pellegrini utilised James Milner as an unorthodox No.10, initially pushing David Silva inside-left before a tactical switch in the second-half. Yaya Toure and Fernandinho stationed ahead of the back four, with Jesus Navas wide-right.
Fast starters
Most players shy away from demanding the ball in tight areas – David Silva is not one of them. James Milner picked the Spaniard out who ran beyond Carrick to burst toward David De Gea’s near post, cutting back excellently for Aguero to notch his seventh Manchester derby goal.
Whatever you can do, I can do better
Then, strangely, United were back in front by the 27th minute, as Young hauled his team into a dangerous attacking force. The early criticism seemed an age ago as Old Trafford exploded upon each goal – the Red Devils were revitalised.
Despite going a goal down, Chris Smalling and Phil Jones continued to spread, to take risks in the hope that joy could be found on the flanks. Milner’s central role in negating Carrick meant the centre was clustered, and both of United’s goals came by way of overloading Zabaleta’s defensive zone. The Argentine was, for the most part, horribly isolated allowing Young and Daley Blind to capitalise.
2: ManUtd have come back to win just 2 of the last 27 games in which they've been losing (D6).
— ManUtd Fact (@ManUtd_Fact) April 12, 2015
Pellegrini fails to react
The Chilean had never lost a Manchester derby in four previous attempts. This may be a false marker considering City’s evolution and United’s struggles post-Ferguson, but an exemplary record nonetheless.
His failure to react to his team’s painfully obvious inability to protect Zabaleta resulted in another unwelcome pair of goals. Again, the goals came via City’s right.
Pellegrini was badly let down by his captain, Vincent Kompany, whose lack of consistency mirrored that of Toure and the team as a whole of late. The Belgian is an excellent penalty box defender, at his imperious best when his team are pinned back where positional sense, bravery and desire are valued above all else. The problem for Kompany has always remained the same – he is terribly ordinary when forced to turn and chase, and as of late, even the strengths are beginning to look like weakness.
A late, high lunge on Blind could have allowed referee Mark Clattenburg to brandish red, but Kompany survived until half time and was replaced by Eliaquim Mangala, who did his best to keep the entirety of United’s attackers onside from Young’s second half set-piece, which produced the fourth, and killer goal of the contest to Smalling.
The curious case of Marouane Fellaini
Opposition midfielders cannot match his strength. Central-defenders do not want to drift too far from their defensive line. Full-backs must dread
Everything about Fellaini’s game has improved, as is the case with most of van Gaal’s squad. This incredible renaissance has transpired into a run of form that has seen Tottenham, Liverpool and Manchester City outplayed on the day, and at some stages, utterly outclassed.
In the immediate phase after Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement, one pattern that has contributed to United’s grief has been an unerring stubbornness. In February 2014, seven months into David Moyes’s tenure very little had changed. 81 crosses entered the Fulham penalty area for a strike rate of zero. The Cottagers escaped with a somewhat fortuitous 2-2 draw, and even the most optimistic supporter saw only a remnant of light at the end of the tunnel.
Incessant crossing had reared its ugly head in the earlier months of this season, as did the previously criticised long-ball diagonals to Fellaini. While crosses into a penalty box where the opposition have numbers back is a low percentage effort, long balls, unattractive as they may seem, to Fellaini 1v1 are far less so.
Young’s equaliser came after a routine punt out of defence by De Gea, which saw Zabaleta thrust into a heading contest with the Belgian – promptly losing out. The ball broke for Herrera, whose pinpoint delivery saw the winger fire home after his initial effort was blocked.
Fellaini put his side ahead via brilliant combination play between Young and Blind, once again exposing Zabaleta and while the cover provided by Navas was present, it was extremely ordinary.
Manchester city Conclusion
Barring a remarkable turnaround, which still may not be enough, the curtain is set to fall on the Pellegrini era.
Toure showed alarmingly poor tactical awareness in this match, and being such a pivotal figure in constructing attacks and screening the defence, this major symptom can be attributed to many of City’s problems of late. Martin Demichelis also showed naivety not befitting his experience, particularly with regards to United’s third goal. Gael Clichy offered little in attack, pinned back for the most part by Valencia and Mata, while the Frenchman was similarly careless in defence, typified by his lack of awareness for Fellaini’s headed goal, as the big Belgian ghosted in behind.
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Manchester United Conclusion
United look set to cruise toward the end of the season with a Champions League place intact, and with a four point lead over its arch rivals, seemingly doing so in the top three. Fellaini is unplayable, his clever positioning tucked in on the inside-right channel requires a high level of concentration from opposition midfielders, thus giving the likes of Carrick, Herrera and Mata greater time and space when in possession.
Carrick’s exit late in the contest forced the hosts to play with 10 men, leading to Aguero’s consolation goal. The injury did not look to be overly serious, and United will need the deep-lying playmaker at his best if they are to topple Chelsea at Stamford Bridge this Saturday.
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