It’s safe to say that Manchester United and Manchester City didn’t produce a derby that will live long in the memory of either set of fans.
Neither United or City really looked like breaking the deadlock in a 0-0 draw in which both systems seemed to be cancelling each other out somewhat.
From City’s side at least, the game was supposed to be one of a few homages to Kevin De Bruyne before he leaves the Etihad in the summer.
Kevin De Bruyne could be MLS bound if he has his way, and whilst his performance at Old Trafford offered a lot of promise, there ultimately wasn’t the end product to match.
A drab affair all round, but perhaps United will be pleased somewhat that they were able to produce a steadfast defensive display, one that Mateo Kovacic mentioned after the game.
Mateo Kovacic explains how Man United made it hard for Pep Guardiola’s side
Speaking to BBC Radio 5 after full-time, Kovacic commented on how ‘aggressive’ United were in their defending at times, something which made it difficult for City to find spaces to exploit.
United actually finished with more xG than City, suggesting that a 1-0 win would have been a fair result.
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And Kovacic did admit that City found it ‘tough’ to make chances. He said: “Not a beautiful game to watch. It was tough. They were aggressive in the mid block so it was tough to find the right spaces to play.
“It was tough to create chances and we had to be careful with the counter attack because they are good going forward. It was a typical derby. We wanted the win but we take the point and move on.
“We always go for the win but we also had to be careful not to lose it because we are in a battle for the Champions League and we need points.
“We could have done more going forward and creating more but it was tough with the small spaces.”
Ruben Dias also comments on United’s ‘difficult’ defending
Speaking to Sky Sports himself, City defender Ruben Dias also commented on how United were defending in so many numbers.
Ruben Amorim’s side have arguably been better when playing stronger opposition this season when they can sit in and counter, which was again evident on Sunday.
Discussing United’s approach, Dias said: “It’s not easy when they are so low and so many numbers, it’s difficult.
“I felt in the first half we had moments we arrived to the moment of last pass and if the last pass gets in we could have been more dangerous. Second half was different.”
Of course, United did still threaten on the break at times and Bruno Fernandes was actually furious with Alejandro Garnacho at one point in the first half for stifling a promising attack.
A game that won’t be remembered, but one that United might still be able to take positives from.
