Manchester United beat arch-rivals Manchester City in their first Premier League clash of the season after a fantastic late win. It was perhaps not the most expansive performance from the Red Devils, but again they were solid defensively and got a crucial three points after a poor run of form in recent weeks.
The Citizens actually took the lead through Josko Gvardiol. He crunched home a header, meeting Kevin De Bruyne’s deflected cross to give City the lead. Bruno Fernandes equalised late in the second half from the penalty spot after missing an earlier chance.
It was Amad Diallo who was the star of the show for the Red Devils. The young attacker, who played as a number 10 after featuring as a wing-back in the Premier League before Sunday’s clash, was fantastic, winning United’s penalty and then scoring the winner.
He took Lisandro Martinez’s searching ball around Ederson with a superb first touch and finish from an acute angle, subsequently sending the away support into raptures.
There were impressive performances littered throughout the Red Devils’ side, with the likes of Amad and Harry Maguire the standout players. However, there were a few players in Ruben Amorim’s side who struggled despite the three points.
Man United’s worst players against Man City
It is perhaps hard to pinpoint the worst of United’s players against the Citizens, given the home side were so lacklustre going forward. That in itself was so strange given they were at the Etihad Stadium, once a fortress, now a place where opposition sides go and play without fear.
However, Noussair Mazraoui was someone who struggled at times, coming up against Jeremy Doku. The Belgian had some joy against United’s number three in the first period, although the defender managed to grow into the game.
Manchester Evening News Journalist Samuel Luckhurst gave the Moroccan defender a 6/10 for his efforts against the men in Blue. He explained Mazraoui was ‘sloppy with the ball’ and ‘never had the measure’ of Doku.
Mazraoui was one of the changes Amroim made with ten minutes or so left, as was Matthijs de Ligt. Like his former Ajax teammate, the Dutchman did not necessarily perform badly against City but did not put in a fantastic performance, either.
In fact, De Ligt’s stats from the game are not as good as one might hope. The 25-year-old defender completed 89% of his passes and lost possession eight times. He also failed to win two of his duels, winning four aerial battles and one on the ground.
Whilst Mazraoui and De Ligt were not bad by any means, they certainly didn’t wow with their showings. However, Diogo Dalot was one player who really struggled.
Diogo Dalot’s performance in numbers vs Man City
If there is one man who might be glad of Amad’s fantastic performance, it could be Dalot. The Portugal international struggled to make much of an influence from left wing-back, be it in or out of possession.
His stats certainly suggested that it was a tough night at the office for the Red Devils number 20. Dalot failed to win any of the seven total duels he attempted, and lost the ball ten times. Frustratingly for a wing-back, the 25-year-old attempted just two crosses and was unable to complete either.
Touches
51
Pass accuracy
85%
Passes completed
34/40
Key passes
0
Shots
0
Dribbles
0
Ground duels won
0/5
Aerial duels won
0/2
Possession lost
10x
Crosses completed
0/2
Luckhurst too noticed that the Portuguese defender struggled with his performance at the Etihad Stadium. He gave Dalot a 4/10 for his performance, explaining he lacked ‘conviction in attack’ throughout.
The journalist also pointed out that the defender was ‘nowhere near’ Gvardiol for the City goal, and that was certainly the case. He was outjumped by the Croatia defender, a disappointing error.
The United full-back must be relieved that Amad won the penalty and scored, given his 4/10 showing and the fact he could be considered at fault for the goal.
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