Premier League: Manchester derby ends in drab goalless draw
What's the story
The latest Manchester derby ended in a goalless stalemate, exposing the current problems of both Manchester United and Manchester City. The match at Old Trafford showed a lack of quality from both sides. For United, their problems in attack was visible. The hosts were sharp on the counter attack but they failed to show quality up front. City will be peeved with the result as they search for a top four place.
Offensive woes
United's attacking struggles
Manchester United looked sharp on counter-attacks, but they couldn't make the most of their chances against City. Alejandro Garnacho wasted a close-range opportunity in the first half while Manuel Ugarte missed a decent chance in the second. Rasmus Hojlund had a quiet outing with just 15 touches and no shots before being subbed off by Joshua Zirkzee who came close to scoring but was denied by Ederson from a Patrick Dorgu cross.
City struggles
City's transitional challenges
On the other hand, Manchester City are still sailing through a transitional phase. They failed to deal with United's counter-attacks and looked less menacing without Erling Haaland. Omar Marmoush, who replaced Haaland, had two second-half attempts that were comfortably saved by Andre Onana. Phil Foden was brought off in the 56th minute after failing to make a mark on the game.
De Bruyne's departure
Kevin De Bruyne's farewell
This was Kevin De Bruyne's last Manchester derby, as he announced his departure from City this summer. The Belgian midfielder started his 21st game against United but didn't get the farewell he deserved after a successful career at the club. The result means City missed an opportunity to go past Chelsea into the fourth spot in the Premier League standings, while United are back to 13th, seven points below the top half of the table.
Details
Match stats and points table
The hosts had 13 shots with two of them on target. City managed nine shots with 5 of them on target. United had 0.92 expected goals with City clocking a number of 0.49. United had 29 touches in the opposition box to City's tally of 15. In terms of the points table, United own 38 points after 31 matches. This was their 8th draw. On the other hand, City are 5th with a point below Chelsea, who are 4th.
Do you know?
Casemiro makes this record for United
As per Opta, Casemiro made 11 tackles against Manchester City, the joint-most by a Manchester United player on record (from 2006-07) in a Premier League game, along with Owen Hargreaves vs Liverpool in December 2007 and Patrice Evra vs Portsmouth in August 2008.
Information
More records from the match
This was the 3rd Manchester derby to finish 0-0 since the 2016/17 season in all competitions. This was the 8th game in the Premier League under Ruben Amorim where United failed to score a goal.