Manchester derby talking points

After a frenzied Manchester derby, we run through four of the top talking points as Manchester City came away with the points.

In the first derby of the season, City won 2-1 at Old Trafford thanks to first-half goals from man-of-the-match Kevin De Bruyne and striker Kelechi Iheanacho. 

It means Pep Guardiola’s City continue their 100 per cent start to the campaign, while Jose Mourinho was left reeling after a questionable team selection. All the fallout is below…

City’s first-half blitz

Manchester City delivered what Gary Neville described as one of the best first-half performances he had ever seen in the first 40 minutes at Old Trafford. Guardiola’s men were utterly dominant, pinning United back and repeatedly targeting their right flank, where Antonio Valencia and Eric Bailly couldn’t cope with a blur of blue shirts.

Some of City’s combination play was brilliantly intricate, but De Bruyne’s opener came from a route one long pass by Aleksandar Kolarov. The Belgian then turned provider for the second when his low, diagonal shot bounced back off the post for Iheanacho to tap home.

City enjoyed 66 per cent of the possession in that first half, but the key to their dominance was their approach without the ball. City’s forward players gave United no time to settle with their feverish pressing, and it was no coincidence that United’s passing accuracy in their own half dropped from a season average of 93 per cent to 80 per cent before the break.

Bravo off the hook

No Manchester City player will been more relieved by the …

continue reading in source www.skysports.com