Manchester City – Manchester United: United Steamrolled By Second Half City Display (4-1)

Pep Guardiola’s side were difficult to deal with in this match thanks to their structural advantages in midfield, plus their incredibly strong combinations on the left side of their attack. United carried some threat in transition in the first half but could not get to grips with City’s ball circulation. City’s dominance was reflected in the scoreline, and United’s performance dropped off badly towards the end of the match. 

Tactical analysis and match report by Josh Manley.

The strong form of EFL Cup winners Liverpool has put pressure on Manchester City at the top of the table. City have not necessarily been at their best in the last two weeks or so, most notably with their defeat at home to Spurs. They were also not overly impressive in their midweek win against Championship side Peterborough in the FA Cup. 

Pep Guardiola went with his usual 4-3-3 system for this crucial game. John Stones partnered Aymeric Laporte at center-back with Rúben Dias unavailable, while Kyle Walker and João Cancelo were the fullbacks. Rodri was the holding midfielder behind Kevin de Bruyne and Bernardo Silva . . .