Manchester (United Kingdom) (AFP)
Tonic in the first period, heroic in the second, Manchester United went to win City (2-1) in a feverish derby that sounds virtually the death knell for the title holders, Saturday, at the 16th day of the Premier League .
Now relegated to 14 Liverpool points, it's hard to see how Pep Guardiola's men could get back on track.
United returned to fifth place and, with the loss of Chelsea Everton (3-1), is only 5 more behind the 4th place that leads to the Champions League.
Always transfigured in major events this season - United is the only team to have taken a point in Liverpool (1-1) - the Red Devils have attacked the match drumming.
A shot by Daniel James (2nd), another by Jesse Lingard in a closed corner (9th), a powerful shot by Anthony Martial (16th) ... The goalkeeper of the Citizens, Ederson quickly warmed the gloves.
But it was Marcus Rashford who came to open the scoring on a penalty ignored by the referee before being granted by the VAR, which he provoked and transformed by taking Ederson against (0- 1, 23e).
It was expected to wake up City, but it was not.
Rashford then hit the bar (27th) before Martial doubled the shot from a hole in the mouse, in the middle of a very passive blue sky defense (29th).
City then set foot on the ball and the second half was mostly like an endless attack-defense exercise.
United defended as much as he could, but could not prevent Otamendi, who had replaced injured John Stones on the hour of play, from reducing the lead's score to a corner 5 minutes from the end regulation time (2-1, 85).
The last 10 minutes, including extra time, have been stifling but United have held on and savored both their victory and the distress of their rivals.
© 2019 AFP