Manchester United 0 Manchester City 2

Is it possible for any game to induce more nausea than this?

As a Manchester City fan there are some things it is just difficult to fully enjoy. Virgil Van Dyke winning PFA Player of the Year for instance. Of all of these things though the derby games probably feature  most highly.

Of course if we win then afterwards we can enjoy it but otherwise it is like watching an episode of Dr Who as a kid. You tend to watch from behind the sofa.

The early exchanges here were all United. Humbled and criticised heavily in recent weeks they seemed up for it and won every ball for a while. It didn’t help City that Vincent Kompany looked a red card waiting to happen. His yellow came in the first 10 minutes for a professional foul on Rashford who seemed intent on fully exploiting the gap between Kompany and Walker. Which was big enough to turn a super tanker around in.

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With the chances City began to create they found a resilient and organised United defence sat in tight lines. This would require unlocking through pace and skill. Both of which seemed in short supply.

City seemed paralysed. Passes went astray. Not the huge passes but the simple ones that are our bread and butter. A team that has won so much, looked so good and has destroyed oppositions for fun, had developed stage fright right at the worst moment of the season.

Then a couple of incidents sprang the game into life. Bernardo unleashed a long range shot saved by De Gea. Ederson rushed out to save from Rashford.

After 25 minutes I was reminded Gundogan was playing in midfield. Until that point I hadn’t really clocked him. It’s not that he suddenly got involved but just that he kind of wandered into the corner of the action like an interloper.

Sterling had a half chance from a quick 1-2 with Fernandinho but miscontrolled the return so any chance went begging. In our next attack Sergio Aguero was hacked down by Fred but somehow the referee deemed the tackle not worthy of a card. In contrast to every City half tackle which seemed to earn a card.

The best City moment came in the 43rd minute when Sterling went for the  a stabbing shot which was saved by De Gea.  Another poor challenge by a United player, this time Lingard on Gundogan  went completely unpunished. The saving grace would be that City surely could not repeat such a poor half. Surely?

It was clear here that City were playing the officials as well tonight.

The second half again took City a few minutes to warm up. United looked bright again but then Fernandinho was injured in a block with Pogba and suddenly our City side was missing another key part of the jigsaw. This required a rethink. Sane came on, Bernardo dropped into central midfield and Gundogan went to defensive midfield.

Within minutes City had fashioned their first chance of the half. This came through Sane and Silva whose neat play resulted in a cross flashing across the goal mouth. City just started to come on top of the game and Bernardo slotted home past Luke Shaw in his 100th City game. Game on.

United went close with a Pogba free kick but City were now playing on the break, which suited them.  Sterling made a quick sprint and released Sane with a great pass and he hit a shot which De Gea fluffed. That is 157 goals for the season so far. The highest number ever in a season.

From this point City dominated possession  and still managed to look sloppy in their passes at times which needlessly put them under pressure. The City fans sang loud and resonated through out Old Trafford.

United made several changes. Lukaku came on and the rest of his team spent 10 minutes chasing his first touch. Martial and Sanchez came on. It turned out this was just like rearranging the deckchairs on the Titanic as the ship sunk.

I have a confession to make to City fans everywhere, there was a point in the 89th minute where I thought we may actually win.

A tactical foul from Luke Shaw brought a deserved yellow card and City added Jesus to the mix as a hobbling Gundogan was withdrawn. Four minutes of injury time was added and someone must have set off a fire alarm in Old Trafford as the stands emptied.

This was a game where United applied themselves well but City showed real character to earn the win. We must hope the injuries are not serious and players are fit for another big game at Burnley away.