Manchester United were handed a reality check of how far back they are compared to their rivals on Sunday, with Manchester City putting on a second-half show to come back from behind and win the Manchester derby.
Marcus Rashford stunned the Etihad Stadium with a sensational first-half strike and United held that advantage into the half-time interval.
It didn’t take long in the second half before City were on level terms, however, before eventually finding a winner with 10 minutes remaining on the clock.
Moments before full-time, the comeback was completed in full as Erling Haaland scored his side’s third and confirmed consecutive Premier League defeats for the Reds.
Despite the loss, Erik ten Hag’s post-match verdict is somewhat positive, with the manager claiming United’s plan ‘worked well’.
“We had two players on the pitch which were not 100% [fit]. Jonny Evans and Marcus Rashford, but they gave everything like the whole team and we are disappointed with the score,” he told Sky Sports, via the BBC.
“Absolutely they fought, the togetherness and the performance was very good. On another day we could have won this – small margins.
“Especially Rashford he had some good opportunties to score another goal and Alejandro Garnacho at moments [had opportunties].
“I think the plan went well, very small margins so all the credits is to Man City and how consistent they can play.
“This year on we are really progressing and you have to get some points back. Everyone can beat everyone and things can quickly turn around.
“Number five [fifth position in the league] can also be a position for Champions League so we have to fight for it!”
There have been far worse performances this season but in truth, United’s fear of going toe-to-toe meant they were never competitive in the way a United side should be in a derby.
A loss in this game will hardly have come as a surprise to people watching from the outside and internally, it’s unlikely that any rash decisions will be made based solely on this game.
As Ten Hag points out, finishing fifth could mean Champions League qualification this season but even that seems unlikely at this point.
