Man United vs Man City

The Manchester Derby has produced some of the Premier League era’s iconic moments — last-minute title winners, shock defeats, tactical masterclasses that rewrite the balance of power in the city for years. This one will be remembered for different reasons. It will be remembered for a while — a little bit for a red card in the twenty-third minute — but a lot more for the insanely wrong VAR decision that let Manchester City squeak through this derby, and every one of the United supporters seeing red.

Phil Foden’s red card dismissal was a moment that changed the entire flow of this game. United had begun well, but had lost their way a little, and City was beginning to have its moments. But the game was very much in the balance, until the red card incident. Bruno fouled Foden — in fact kicking him when Foden was down on the ground. And Foden did exactly what any professional footballer should never do in such a situation: retaliate. It was clearly a reckless challenge by Bruno that should have merited a yellow card by itself. But Foden kicked out with both feet into the midriff of Bruno Fernándes, who promptly crumbled to the ground, upstaging the best Italian actors of the 2010 World Cup. The referee had no choice but to flash the red to Foden. He was off. Bruno was fortunate not to even get booked. City were going to play with ten men for sixty-three minutes. Old Trafford was on its feet.

You might imagine that, with a one-man advantage for United, in the Manchester derby, it would be a matter of time before they capitalised. But that is not what happened. United looked quite lost — they did not know how to handle this situation, were very slow in their build-up, and gave City ample time to organise and defend effectively. They did create a few chances, none better than the Marcus Rashford effort from a free kick where he curled the ball past Donnarumma — but the post kept City’s lead intact. Mainoo’s blinder just after half-time was equally unfortunate: a shot of such quality that it deserved better than to strike the post and roll wide.

In the second half, City replaced Cherki with Ndiaye — and it proved an inspired move. Ndiaye was relentless, complementing Semenyo on the other flank, and the midfield duo of Anderson and Enzo Fernández were ball-winning machines throughout. Despite being a man down, City was actually controlling the flow of play more convincingly than United.

And then, in the sixtieth minute, Haaland struck — or, if the Couch were to be more precise, VAR struck. Joško Gvardiol sent in a cross into the box, and Haaland struck a wonderful left-footed finish from the far post into the back corner, beating Lamens. The linesman’s flag went up. Offside. Old Trafford breathed. Then VAR reviewed. It turned out Haaland was not offside — a United player’s toe had played him on-side. But there was Enzo Fernández, in a clearly offside position, making a play for the ball ahead of Haaland — he missed, and Haaland did not. That should have been offside. Not according to this VAR room, who seemed to have momentarily forgotten the basic rules of the game. They radioed Michael Oliver and told him to give the goal. One-nil to City. Old Trafford erupted in anger. Gary Neville said on commentary that the referee’s association would apologise and accept their mistake — which is exactly what happened.

United did try but City held them off. It took a fabulous point-blank save from Gigi Donnarumma to deny Mbuemo in the closing minutes. City were the kings of Manchester — in Elliott Anderson’s words post-match. City were disciplined, gritty, and tactically excellent throughout. Enzo Maresca’s ten men did not just defend for their lives — they controlled the ball, pressed from the front, and managed the game with a composure that was almost insulting given their numerical disadvantage. Ndiaye, Semenyo, Anderson and Fernández — the reputed £250m midfield partnership — were the engine room of everything City did with and without the ball. They definitely deserved at least a point from this match.

United fans unfurled a banner that read: “The Way You Treat Us Is A Disgrace.” It was a message clearly directed at the VAR decision — which the Couch will readily agree was a disgrace. Four games in, United have four points and sit thirteenth. Arsenal and City, joint top on twelve, are already eight points clear. The gap between where United were and where they are is not a crisis that arrived last Sunday. It has been building for years. But the derby always makes it sharper. battleSTAR Galáctico: Elliott Anderson — part of a £250m midfield that controlled a Manchester Derby for seventy minutes with ten men. One of the finest midfield performances in a City shirt this season.