Michael Carrick’s Dream Start as Manchester United Outclass City in Derby Victory
- Michael Carrick marked his first game as interim boss with a stunning 2-0 derby win that signalled a fresh start for Manchester United
- United punished City’s dominance with ruthless counter-attacks, scoring twice despite seeing little of the ball
- Erling Haaland was kept quiet as City managed just one shot on target, raising fresh doubts over their title push
Michael Carrick could hardly have asked for a more emphatic beginning to life as Manchester United’s interim manager after guiding the Red Devils to a memorable 2-0 victory over Manchester City at Old Trafford on Saturday, January 17.
Appointed following the sacking of Ruben Amorim on January 1, Carrick oversaw a United side that played with renewed intensity, aggression, and belief from the opening whistle.
Source: Getty Images
According to The Sun, the atmosphere inside Old Trafford was electric well before kick-off, and the home crowd’s energy clearly fed into the performance on the pitch.
United wasted little time in asserting themselves, going close inside the opening three minutes when Harry Maguire’s powerful header from a Bruno Fernandes corner struck the post.
It set the tone for a first half in which the hosts consistently looked dangerous on the break, despite City dominating possession.
After Gianluigi Donnarumma produced a superb save to deny Patrick Dorgu, United thought they had taken the lead twice through Amad Diallo and Fernandes.
However, both goals were correctly ruled out for offside after the attackers had run onto the ball before rounding the City goalkeeper.
City, for all their control of the ball, struggled to penetrate a disciplined United defence. Their best chance of the opening period fell to Max Alleyne, whose header was comfortably dealt with by Senne Lammens.
According to Flashscore, the breakthrough finally arrived in the 65th minute, and it was a goal that typified Carrick’s game plan. Fernandes surged forward on a swift counter-attack before releasing Bryan Mbeumo, who calmly guided a first-time finish into the bottom corner.
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With City unable to find any rhythm and Erling Haaland effectively nullified, United sensed blood. Their dominance was confirmed 14 minutes from time when Dorgu met Matheus Cunha’s cross, scoring via the post to seal a famous derby win.
The result lifts United provisionally into the top four and signals a promising new chapter under Carrick. For City, it was a sobering afternoon that raised fresh questions about their title credentials.
9 players missed the Manchester derby
Earlier, YEN.com.gh reported that Manchester United and Manchester City both headed into the Premier League Manchester derby dealing with significant squad absences.
United missed several players, including Matthijs de Ligt (back injury), Noussair Mazraoui (AFCON duty), and Toby Collyer, who is still recovering from injury.
Manchester City faced even bigger problems, with Nico Gonzalez, Ruben Dias and John Stones sidelined by injuries, and Josko Gvardiol ruled out long-term after surgery. Omar Marmoush is away at AFCON, while Oscar Bobb was also unavailable due to a hamstring issue.
Source: YEN.com.gh
