Michael Carrick’s tenure as interim manager got off to the best possible start at Old Trafford. Check out the top facts and stats from the derby with our Man Utd vs Man City stats page.
The Michael Carrick era is here, and what a start it was to this particular managerial reign.
The interim head coach may only be in situ for a matter of months. He may not ultimately be trusted to lead the team for the long term. But he may well give the Manchester United hierarchy a decision to make after this impressive win over fierce rivals Manchester City.
Carrick continued as Darren Fletcher had done in ditching Ruben Amorim’s three-at-the-back system, but he still stamped his mark on the team, making four changes from United’s last starting XI. As well as bringing Bryan Mbeumo and Amad Diallo straight back in after they returned from the Africa Cup of Nations, he also reinstated Harry Maguire, who was back from injury and, most notably Kobbie Mainoo, a homegrown fan favourite who found game time hard to come by under Amorim.
And after being able to cheer Mainoo’s return to the team, the supporters were then treated to as positive a display as they could have hoped for. City, playing with a young and inexperienced back four that had never played together before, were caused all sorts of issues and, despite seeing plenty of the ball, struggled to find a way to goal throughout.
United started off as they meant to go on. Inside three minutes, Maguire struck the crossbar with a free header from a corner. Not long after, Patrick Dorgu forced a smart save from Gianluigi Donnarumma with a volley from close range, and Bruno Fernandes wasted a huge opportunity to score by trying to slip Mbeumo in, instead of going for goal himself.
The first half ended goalless, but United had the ball in the back of the City net twice, with ‘goalscorers’ Amad and Bruno were both denied by the linesman’s flag, as City’s youthful backline stood firm. United were caught offside four times in the first half, their most in the opening 45 minutes of a Premier League game at Old Trafford since Boxing Day 2023 (six vs Aston Villa). They ended the first period having had just 27.7% possession but went in at the break far the happier of the two teams.
Pep Guardiola’s dissatisfaction was made clear by his decision to make a double substitution at the start of the second half despite the fact that he had a weak bench that included two goalkeepers and three largely untested teenagers. Max Alleyne had started at centre-back but had a tough afternoon before being withdrawn along with Phil Foden. However, Alleyne’s replacement, Nico O’Reilly, was booked after pulling Amad back just two minutes and 39 seconds after coming on. There was no let-up for any of the City players against a relentless United. “The manager said to use the energy of the people,” Lisandro Martínez said afterwards.
The second half continued as the first had, with City dominating possession but struggling to find a way through a stubborn, resolute and compact United block. The hosts, without having much of the ball, remained a huge threat on the break.
Donnarumma did his best to keep City in it, producing one save from Amad and another from Casemiro from point-blank range with the goal gaping. By the hour mark, the City goalkeeper had made five saves, already his most in a Premier League game.
But the Italian’s impressive rearguard was eventually broken when United hit them with a blistering counter-attack. Fernandes broke forward at pace through the middle of the pitch and slipped Mbeumo in to finish low and hard, across Donnarumma and into the corner. Since the start of last season, only Mohamed Salah (eight) and Antoine Semenyo (six) have scored more Premier League goals from fast breaks than Mbeumo (five).
Meanwhile, since 1 November, only City forward Erling Haaland (12) has been involved in more Premier League goals than Fernandes (11).
Here, however, Haaland was almost completely anonymous. He had only 14 touches of the ball before being hauled off with 10 minutes to go. He has gone seven consecutive appearances without a non-penalty goal in all competitions, his longest run while playing for a side in the top five European leagues.
By that point, United had doubled their lead as Matheus Cunha, introduced in place of Mbeumo, beat O’Reilly down the right and put a ball across the face of goal. City’s inexperience in defence was highlighted as their players stood on their heels to allow Dorgu to nip in and finish. Four of his five Premier League goal involvements have come in his last six appearances (two goals, two assists).
City pushed to get back into the game but United stood firm at the back while also remaining the more threatening on the break. They even scored another disallowed goal, with Mason Mount turning into the net, but Cunha had been caught offside earlier in the move.
It did not matter, though. It could scarcely matter less to a jubilant home crowd who, once again, have a reason to believe. United might be out of both cup competitions and facing their shortest season in over 100 years, but fourth in the table – for a few hours at least – after this result, have proved that they can still make this season a success under Carrick.
Our Opta match centre delivers you all the Man Utd vs Man City stats from their Premier League meeting at Old Trafford.
The match centre below includes team and player stats, expected goals data, passing networks, an Opta chalkboard and more. It gives you everything you need to do your own match analysis.
Underneath the match centre you can find the official Opta stats on the game as well.
Man Utd vs Man City Stats: Post-Match Facts
Manchester United have lost just one of their last six games against Manchester City in all competitions (W3 D2), with this their first victory against City at Old Trafford since January 2023 (2-1). Manchester City (D3 L1) have gone four consecutive Premier League games without a victory for the first tim December 2024 (D2 L2), a run which also included defeat against Manchester United. Erling Haaland (who had 14 touches in this game) has gone seven consecutive appearances without a non-penalty goal in all competitions, his longest run while playing for a big five European league side (across spells with Borussia Dortmund & Manchester City).Enjoy this? Subscribe to our football newsletter to receive exclusive weekly content. You should also follow our social accounts over on X, Instagram, TikTok and Facebook.
Man Utd 2-0 Man City Stats: Derby Delight for Michael Carrick as Counter-Attacking United Wrap Up Deserved Win Opta Analyst.
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