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MOTD- Manchester City 4-1 Manchester United

By on September 22, 2013
Samir Nasri celebrates his goal in Manchester City's thrashing of David Moyes' Manchester United

Samir Nasri celebrates his goal in Manchester City’s thrashing of David Moyes’ Manchester United

Manchester United were torn apart in the Manchester derby in their worst defeat at The Etihad stadium since 2004.  Although both United manager David Moyes and his counterpart Manuel Pellegrini felt pressure coming into their first Manchester derbies, Pellegrini didn’t have to fret, while Moyes could hardly say the same.

United looked devoid of any inspiration at all, with the win also underlining their dependance upon Robin van Persie, who was sidelined because of a groin injury.  The Red Devils had only lost one Manchester derby that Van Persie had played in since moving the Manchester in 2012 , and the Dutchman had also accounted for half of United’s Premier League goals before the match.

Only having Wayne Rooney to rely on as a world-class forward, United struggled to create many chances.  Although Moyes’ side began sharply, they fell flat in the fifteenth minute when City superbly took the lead.  Samir Nasri flicked the ball to Aleksandar Kolarov’s overlapping run down the left, and Kolarov curled a cross into the box after flying by Chris Smalling.  Sergio Aguero seemed to have overrun the cross at the far post, but somehow turned around and smashed a overhead volley into the top corner of the net.

The goal seemed to stump United, and despite keeping some aimless possession, they failed to do much, unlike their counterparts, who remained very active.  Still, the score looked to remain 1-0 during half-time, City doubled their lead in first half stoppage time.  Jesus Navas swung a corner in from the right, and Alvaro Negredo rose above his maker to head the ball towards the back post.  It looked to be heading wide, but Yaya Toure raced in the tap it home at the back post.

Moyes needed to insert a strict half-time hairdrier treatment to his side, but instead failed to inspire them and City scored within a minute of the restart.  Nasri slipped it in to Negredo’s run down the left of the box, with the former Sevilla player turning back towards goal on the byline before swinging a chipped cross to Aguero, who stabbed a volley past a helpless David De Gea into the back of the net.

United hardly had time to mount a comeback, before they found themselves four down as City scored another only moments later.  Navas burst down the left and chipped a cross towards the back post, where Nasri cracked a low first time volley into the back of the net.  Minds wandered back to United’s dreadful 6-1 loss at Old Trafford under Sir Alex Ferguson in the 2011/12 season, but as City took their foot off the gas United manged to create some chances.  Rooney curled a low cross over the bar in the fifty-second minute before Marouane Fellaini’s whipping effort from the right forced Joe Hart into an acrobatic save to tip it over in the sixty-seventh minute.

City broke on the counter-attack multiple times, but United found a consolation goal in the dying minutes of the match when Matija Nastasic pulled Rooney down twenty-five yards out from goal.  The Englishman stepped up to take the resulting free-kick, and he curled an unstoppable shot into the top corner which no goalkeeper could have ever saved.  Although United attempted to mount a later late improbable comeback the goal remained a consolation goal, with City seeing out the 4-1 thrashing.
Man of the Match: Samir Nasri

About Alex Morgan

Alex Morgan, founder of Football Every Day, lives and breaths football from the West Coast of the United States in California. Aside from founding Football Every Day in January of 2013, Alex has also launched his own journalism career and hopes to help others do the same with FBED. He covers the San Jose Earthquakes as a beat reporter for QuakesTalk.com and his work has also been featured in the BBC's Match of the Day Magazine.