Manchester City’s Corner: Fergie’s Man United Stunned – What Are The Ramifications?

By Howard Hockin
13 years Ago

Even two days after that game, having read every match report available, it’s hard to fathom a result like this, whatever the circumstances. Most City fans would have happily taken a draw away to the Champions. With five minutes, some feared a remarkable comeback or were bemoaning that victory might possibly only be by a single goal.

And yet, as always, the derby started with utter dread. The fear of conceding the early goal, of being thrashed. After all, Arsenal had conceded eight goals here just weeks before. There was little evidence in the early stages of the match of what was to come. United started as they usually do, coming out the blocks strongly and pressing the opposition. In the first ten minutes, City struggled to retain possession. But having ridden out the storm, City regained some balance as both teams failed to penetrate the opposition defence and test either keeper. With Cityai??i??s first clear opening came Cityai??i??s first goal, in the 22nd minute, and the nerves were somewhat settled.

Ex-Valencia player David Silva has been immense for Man City!

And yet, the City of old, and the United of old too always hangs over the fixture. There were still lingering doubts in City minds, that feeling of dread, as late as the the 81st minute, when Darren Fletcher curled a beautiful shot past Joe Hartai??i??s despairing dive ai??i?? if anyone could come back from such a seemingly hopeless position, it was United. In the end, there was no need for concern. Greater punishment came from City, first in the 90th minute, with Lescott turning a header from Gareth Barry into the path of Dzekoai??i??s knee. Dzeko then released Silva to finish through De Geaai??i??s legs. And there was a glorious flourish to come when Silva’s vision and accuracy freed Dzeko to capitalise once more.

Manchester United 1 Manchester City 6 it read. A sight to behold forever.

It hardly seemed real. For United, too many players failed to perform. Evans is the obvious example, but he was far from alone. His defensive partner Rio Ferdinand had an atrocious game, and doubts must now exist over his future at United. The problem with Ferdinand is that his nonchalant style looks great when he is doing well, but equally bad when he isn’t.

Patrice Evra, too, continued his two-year decline, and City got great joy down his side of the pitch. Out wide, Nani and Young failed to impose themselves on the match whilst Fletcher and Anderson were outmuscled in midfield, the situation made worse when Fletcher was moved to right-back. Welbeck was isolated while Rooney was forced deeper and deeper to help out his midfield. For City, there were no weak points. Mancini got his tactics spot on, and while Silva was the class act on the pitch, virtually every player gave an 8/10 performance or better.

By the end, no one could really comprehend such a score. The majority of City fans may never have seen anything like it, and it’s unlikely they ever will again. The circumstances are merely an afterthought – the score itself will live in the memory forever. A ridiculous defeat for Chelsea later in the afternoon just added to the joy. Despite a delicate head, going into work the following day must have been easier than usual – a few United fans having taken the day off on short notice.

But what does the match signify? Sadly, probably not that much.

Roberto Mancini, grinning wildly during the closing minutes of the match, was more grounded than most, and summed it up best.Ai??“It’s not important 6-1. It’s important that we beat a fantastic team. That is important,” the Italian manager told Sky Sports News. ai???It is important for our confidence because I don’t think it’s easy to come here. When you come here to play at Old Trafford it is an honour, because United are a strong team and you can have some problems.”

City has put the Tevez saga well behind them!

And amid all the elation, he is right. It was an amazing result, helped by a man-advantage for 45 minutes, and by City cruelly punishing a tiring United at the end. But it’s a bit early to be declaring a decisive shift in the balance of power, despite the statistics.

And the statistics for the match are staggering. It was Unitedai??i??s worst home defeat for more than half a century. It equalled the derby score-line of 1926, and it equalled the margin of Unitedai??i??s biggest ever Premiership defeat. Already, City have scored more goals than they did in an entire season under Stuart Pearce ai??i?? and a few other seasons before that too. In the last four minutes alone, there was a six-goal turnaround in the two teamsai??i?? goal-difference. Could that be a vital factor come May? By full-time, the bookies had installed City as title favourites.

City now have the cushion of a 5-point lead at the top of the Premiership, and a goal difference 12 better than that of United. But it is early days and United are sure to bounce back. I wouldn’t like to be an Everton supporter next weekend – United will be smarting, and Ferguson will demand retribution. United have suffered heavy defeats before – and usually gone on to win the league, such as after a 5-0 defeat to Newcastle followed by a 6-3 reverse to Southampton. They couldn’t blame the colour of their shirts this time though.

City’s tests will continue to come. If they are to capture the league, they must keep going all season, win when the inevitable run of bad form comes, and keep their cool at the business end of the season. With winnable games coming up in the league, it is vital they concentrate and continue toAi??perform. City may have proved they have the better, and deeper squad – but Ferguson is the master at getting the most out of what he has – the bad news for United is that the constant attempts to portray City’s players as mercenaries who have contributed to a poor team spirit seem wide of the mark. City players seem to be enjoying the challenge.

And what’s more, the perceived negativity in big games may now have gone – Mancini has the squad he wanted (almost) and is happy to take any team on. There should be a lot more goals before the season ends, and more records broken.

All the while, Chelsea carry on quietly – the bad result of the weekend was a consequence of circumstances and even with 9-men, they were the better side against QPR. All the media hype of the power of Manchester football could play into their hands in the long run.

Either way, this was a result that will live in the memory of both sets of fans for many years to come, and go down as one of the greatest Premiership victories. It was a proud day to be a City fan, a magnificent declaration that City have the best manager for the job, and the clearest possible sign that City are now definitely a key player in the title race. The pre-match thoughts remain – this game was never going to decide or prove anything, but in the end it gave all City fans a memory to cherish forever. Any football fan has days when they wonder if life would be better if they had never fallen in love with the sport – but when it gives you days like Sunday, then you realise why you follow your team, and why you always will.

Categories: COVER STORY, English Premier League, Manchester United
Tags: Manchester City Premier league

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