Luke Shaw and Anthony Martial stood out as Manchester United handed Manchester City a 2-0 defeat to close the gap to the top of the table on Sunday.
Manchester United made the perfect start to the game, as Anthony Martial earned an early penalty after being tripped just inside the Manchester City box by Gabriel Jesus. Bruno Fernandes stepped up to take the spot-kick and just about managed to convert it, as Ederson Moraes got a hand to his penalty.
The rest of the first half saw Manchester United conjure up the better of the opportunities, with Ederson kept busier than Dean Henderson. Post the interval, the visitors were hot off the gates once again, with Luke Shaw making it 2-0 just five minutes into the second period after some fine individual work and superb link-up with Marcus Rashford.
Both sides then had plenty of chances to find the back of the net once again, but neither goal was breached, as Manchester United held on to claim a critical 2-0 win over Manchester City, whose brilliant winning run finally came to an end. The Hard Tackle now runs the rule over both sets of players, with United closing the gap to the top of the Premier League table to 11 points.
Manchester City
Ederson Moraes: 6/10
Not to blame for either goal he conceded, Ederson did get his hand to Bruno Fernandes’ penalty while also making some important saves. Precise as ever with the ball at his feet.
Joao Cancelo: 5/10
A rare off day for Cancelo, who was under the pump against the twin threat of Luke Shaw and Marcus Rashford. Hardly posed a threat going forward while losing the ball 11 times.
John Stones: 6/10
Stones and Dias were not bad in this game, but they could have done better in the crunch moments, like when Shaw scored, Stones should have shut off Rashford better. Won 8 duels while being efficient with his ball-usage.
Ruben Dias: 6/10
Dias did not do anything particularly poor on the day, but he could have done better to keep the Manchester City backline organised when Shaw scored the second Manchester United goal. Won 4 duels while losing possession just twice all game.
Oleksandr Zinchenko: 5/10
Struggled against the pace of Daniel James while also being unable to contribute with deliveries, although he did force Dean Henderson into a fine save.
Kevin De Bruyne: 5/10
8 – Kevin De Bruyne created 8 chances today, the joint-most by a player in a @premierleague game against Man Utd (since 2003-04), and the fourth different man to do so –
07/03/21 – @DeBruyneKev
10/05/16 – @dimpayet17
01/12/12 – @nickyshorey22
31/01/10 – @cesc4officialWoe. pic.twitter.com/1JEGZcbCUh
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) March 7, 2021
A game of highs and lows for De Bruyne, with the latter tipping the scales to a greater extent. Did play a game-high 8 key passes, but also lost possession 24 times, losing the ball in sloppy fashion on a number of occasions. Has been slow to get back to his best.
Rodri: 6/10
Not the best of displays by Rodri, who just could not manage to set an acceptable tempo of the game while also being one of those culpable for the early penalty incident. Has to control play better.
Ilkay Gundogan: 5/10
The in-form Gundogan encountered a blip against Manchester United on Sunday when nothing he tried came off. Did play 3 key passes but was wasteful with his efforts. Just one of those days.
Riyad Mahrez: 7/10
The only positive on a drab evening for Manchester City, Mahrez continued his good form with a purposeful display, seeing a lot of the ball while playing a couple of key passes. Could not make a telling impact, though, with Shaw eventually getting the better of him.
Gabriel Jesus: 4/10
A game to forget for Jesus, who first lost the ball before giving away the penalty, which was converted for what essentially became the match-winner. Could not muster up a single shot on target.
Raheem Sterling: 4/10
Raheem Sterling has now had 54 shots across 18 PL games against Manchester United, failing to score once.
Another derby blank. ? pic.twitter.com/QT1p1NbHPy
— Statman Dave (@StatmanDave) March 7, 2021
A frustrating evening for Sterling, who never really managed to get the better of Aaron Wan-Bissaka – he must be getting sick of the Manchester United full-back. Sterling, though, did have enough chances to score and should have done much better in the final third.
SUBSTITUTES
Kyle Walker: 6/10
Sent on in place of Cancelo, Walker was efficient with his usage of the ball and created a brilliant chance for Sterling, only for the opening to go abegging.
Phil Foden: 6/10
A bright spark after being introduced in place of Jesus, Foden saw City’s best chance fall his way, only for him to fluff his lines.
Manchester United
Dean Henderson: 7/10
Goals conceded by Dean Henderson this season [club appearances only]:
0
0
2
0
1
2
0
0
0
2
0
0
0
0
0A 5th consecutive clean sheet. ? pic.twitter.com/Fv66IjzizW
— Statman Dave (@StatmanDave) March 7, 2021
Continuing his run in the side, Henderson mostly made just regulation saves, but showed good concentration to keep the ball out of his net on numerous occasions. Initiated the attack for the second goal by throwing the ball at Luke Shaw, who unleashed a fine run before scoring.
Aaron Wan-Bissaka: 7/10
There is just something about Wan-Bissaka coming up against Sterling that brings the best out of him. On Sunday, the 23-year-old thwarted the English international on a number of occasions. Won 5 duels while completing 5 interceptions, 3 tackles and 3 clearances.
Victor Lindelof: 7/10
The Manchester United defenders were in their elements against Manchester City and Lindelof was more of the same on his return to the side. A couple of big blocks helped keep the ball away from Henderson’s goal.
Harry Maguire: 7/10
A top display by Maguire, who needed such a performance to get his campaign back on track. Kept Gabriel Jesus at bay all game long while making a staggering 9 clearances. Leading by example.
Luke Shaw: 8/10
He's missed 711 days of his Manchester United career so far through injury – almost two whole years.
He's now one of the most in-form footballers in the country.
He's just scored and kept a clean sheet in a 2-0 win against Manchester City.
Luke Shaw appreciation post.#MUFC pic.twitter.com/vZhjWcZK9k
— bet365 (@bet365) March 7, 2021
The Luke Shaw juggernaut continued to roll on and on Sunday, he scored only his second Premier League goal to seal all three points for Manchester United. Made some vital defensive contributions as well, while also being an outlet when in the final third.
Scott McTominay: 6/10
Seemed to be playing with a niggle, which affected his movement. However, McTominay camped himself almost exclusively in his own half, which helped Manchester United in the defensive phase, with the player winning 5 duels in all.
Fred: 6/10
A solid effort by Fred, who was not always at his best against the mighty Manchester City midfielders but did enough to help out the defence. Could have done better when moving the ball forward.
Daniel James: 6/10
A game of hits and misses for James. While his pace came in handy and aligned perfectly with Manchester United’s outlook in the game, his end product left a fair bit to be desired. Nevertheless, made his mark.
Bruno Fernandes: 7/10
Bruno Fernandes made 8 ball recoveries vs. Man City, no Man Utd player made more during the 93 minutes that he was on the pitch.
A telling influence with and without the ball. ?? pic.twitter.com/Sj8RtjYEFz
— Statman Dave (@StatmanDave) March 7, 2021
Bruno Fernandes scored a much-needed goal to silence some of his recent detractors, but this was not a vintage performance by any stretch. The Portuguese playmaker managed just 1 key pass but did move the ball quickly on counters.
Marcus Rashford: 7/10
A much-improved performance by Rashford, although the goal continues to elude him. The English international, though, grabbed the assist for Shaw’s goal and stung the palms of Ederson.
Anthony Martial: 8/10
Back into the starting lineup after recovering from his injury, Martial made the perfect start to the game, winning the early penalty that helped Manchester United establish a foothold in the game. Missed a couple of chances but posed a lot of threat with his pace and movement.
SUBSTITUTES
Mason Greenwood: 6/10
On for Rashford, Greenwood put in the hard yards late on to ensure Manchester United did not slip up in the crucial phase of the game.
Nemanja Matic: N/A
On for Martial late on, Matic helped see the game out without much of a fuss.
Brandon Williams: N/A
A late introduction, Williams helped see the game out.
