3 Key Takeaways: Citizens Win the Derby over Man United 2-1

MANCHESTER, ENGLAND – SEPTEMBER 10: Josep Guardiola, Manager of Manchester City reacts during the Premier League match between Manchester United and Manchester City at Old Trafford on September 10, 2016 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images) /

Pep Guardiola earned his first Manchester Derby victory on Saturday as goals from Kevin De Bruyne and Kelechi Iheanacho gave Manchester City a 2-1 win at Old Trafford against Manchester United.

Manchester City continued their undefeated run to the 2016-17 Barclays Premier League season after defeating their biggest rivals away from home.

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With Sergio Aguero serving the first match of a three-match suspension, Kelechi Iheanacho got the start-up top for Guardiola’s men. New signing Claudio Bravo got his debut in-goal, while John Stones and Nicolas Otamendi continued their centerback partnership.

Jose Mourinho‘s Manchester United had plenty of firepower of their own with Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Wayne Rooney, Paul Pogba, and Henrikh Mkhitaryan all in the starting 11.

In the first half, City looked much more dominant pressing United whenever they had possession, then hitting the back-line with quick counter attacks. Fifteen minutes in, Kevin De Bruyne opened the scoring with a calm and composed finish into the bottom left hand corner after a nice assist from Kelechi Iheanacho.

City’s hard work with and without the ball gave them a 1-0 advantage after a quarter and hour. Nine minutes from halftime, Iheanacho doubled City’s lead after slotting home easily after De Bruyne’s shot landed at the Nigerian’s feet off the post.

Three minutes from halftime, Manchester United benefited from a mistake from Claudio Bravo that allowed Ibrahimovic to scissor kick home from inside the box. Bravo, left his line to catch a cross but palmed the ball away rather than grabbing it with two hands. Either way the mistake gave Manchester United hope heading into halftime.

The second half saw United press more and look for an equalizer. Manchester City continued to work the ball around and keep possession while trying to extend their lead. De Bruyne came closest after hitting the post in the 75th minute.

The back-line of Bacary Sagna, Stones, Otamendi, and Aleksandar Kolarov held their own and ultimately kept the hosts from tying the game. At the final whistle, Manchester City had an important 2-1 win at Old Trafford to stay at the top of the table.

Here are the match stats from the match:

Claudio Bravo made two saves for City, while David de Gea made four for United.

According to BBC Sport, Pep Guardiola praises his players heart for their performance against a huge rival. “We are happy. I think the spectators enjoyed it because it was open until the end. First half we were better – in the second half it was difficult. We had counter-attacks and we didn’t finish. These guys have a heart – in the first half we won a lot of duels against a team physically stronger. In the second half, the long balls, you just pray because it’s almost impossible to control that.”

After the week off due to World Cup Qualifiers, fans and spectators alike were hoping for a high intensity match between these two. The teams didn’t disappoint at all.

Here are my three key takeaways from the match for Manchester City.

1.) Kelechi Iheanacho proves his worth on a huge stage.
After Aguero was handed his suspension, a lot of speculation was made on whether or not Iheanacho would start-up top or not. A goal and assist later, and we now see Guardiola get the best out of his man. The youngster was a threat many times last year against opposing back-lines and looks to have picked the best time to net his first goal of the season. With Champions League and League Cup fixtures approaching, Iheanacho could be starting more regularly.

2.) Nicolas Otamendi played like a warrior.
With Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Wayne Rooney, and Paul Pogba to deal with, Nicolas Otamendi made a huge impact defensively. He won 11 aerial battles, five tackles, and earned some important fouls for the team. He looks a whole level better than last season, and has grown more comfortable with John Stones as his centerback partner. With Vincent Kompany coming back, Otamendi will have another partner that he has featured with before. He easily would be in my early season team of the year for his stellar work holding together the Manchester City back-line.

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3.) Pep’s Tactics are definitely paying off.
Coming into the season, everybody knew what kind of manager Pep Guardiola was. He expected his side to have tons of possession, while also pressuring hard against opposing offenses. Throughout the first half, Manchester United looked displaced and overworked with City’s constant pressure with and without the ball. Kevin De Bruyne was shredding through the midfield, while David Silva and Nolito also were huge factors working down the flanks. The rest of the league should be worried about Manchester City after their statement victory.

Manchester City will be back in action on Tuesday as they host Borussia Monchengladbach in their opening match of the UEFA Champions League Group Stage. Following that they return to Premier League action next Saturday vs Bournemouth at the Etihad.

Writer’s note: Stay tuned here for all of your Manchester CIty updates. Follow me on twitter, and leave any questions or comments at @lhenry019. Also, follow @mancitysquare on twitter as well!