The other? United’s match against Liverpool.
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A win for City against the Red Devils will return the club to the top of the Premier League table with 24 points. It wasn’t that they Louis van Gaal’s men were playing especially badly, but City’s defence held firm.
Last night’s result was the first time in 61 league games and 20 months that City have been held to a goalless draw.
Substitute Jesse Lingard was nearly an unlikely derby hero for United, prodding a volley against the crossbar from Martial’s wonderful lofted ball five minutes from time and City goalkeeper Joe Hart saved brilliantly from Chris Smalling as the clock ticked down. Manuel Pellegrini, often an advocate of attacking football, set the tone when he submitted his team sheet and inserted Fernando, an extra defensive midfielder.
Manchester United captain Wayne Rooney receives attention from the club’s medics after cutting his head in the Manchester derby.
“I think it’s one where it could have been a little bit more [exciting]”. “It is easy to see for me but I have a replay”.
“We had 90 minutes control of the game against a side like Manchester City”.
A slaloming solo run brought the crowd to life, and it seems as though it is Martial’s task to electrify Old Trafford.
“We don t have the luck neither because I have seen on the video that Herrera, it was a penalty, but the referee was not giving us that benefit”, he said.
Billy Jones and Fletcher added further goals for Sunderland in the second half to ensure that Sam Allardyce would be their fourth successive manager to win this derby in his second match in charge. It would be a massive call not to play Toure in a game of this magnitude and with Pellegrini’s future under nearly permanent scrutiny, I do not believe he can take such a big gamble. “They have a fantastic team also on the counterattack, but we have prevented that also in a very professional way”.
Both teams are now on a similar level, there is no upstart or established power, and the gap has closed and, with it, the noise has subsided.
I mentioned in one of the previous answers that we have looked iffy at the back in the last few games and that has coincided with Kompany being out.
A day after his 30th birthday, Rooney’s seemingly guaranteed starting place looks harder to justify, however much the striker exerts himself in attempting to regain the prolific form of the past.
In Harry Kane’s last 17 Premier League appearances he’s scored three goals from 40 shots (7.5% conversion rate).
The point moves City to the top of the Premier League standings.
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Monaco won 1-0 away at Reims and Olympique Lyonnais overcame Toulouse 3-0 at home on Friday.
