Manchester United went on an embarrassing three-goal loss against city rival Manchester City. Almost as bad is the way the old greatness loses.
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Jadon Sancho skapte a little excitement when he equalized against the club where he was part of the academy for three years, but after a new Kevin De Bruyne hit just a few minutes later it looked like there was only one team on the field in Manchester on Sunday night.
There were “only” four balls to get out of the net for David De Gea, with Riyad Mahrez scoring the last two, but it is the numbers behind the result that can be just as shocking for United fans.
Within a quarter of an hour towards the end of the match, Manchester City had the ball 92 (!) Percent of the time.
Gary Neville called for the last 25 minutes “a shame” on the broadcast to Sky Sports.
– They just wandered around there for the last 25 minutes. City held the ball, with a clear 92 percent of possession. It is unheard of, unthinkable and unforgivable. It’s nowhere near good enough, says Neville.
But it does not stop there.
Numbers from SofaScore shows that Manchester City were completely superior in all parameters after the break.
Scroll right to see the difference between the rounds:
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–Manchester United had null endings, null chances, and had the ball 21 percent of time.
United.no journalist Eivind Holth could not help but close your eyes when he saw the statistics – but deep down he is not surprised.
– The worst thing is that you are not shocked, because it harmonizes with what you have seen from the team, he says.
He thinks that Sunday’s match, with Sir Alex Ferguson in the stands, became a symbol of how wrong things have gone in the red part of Manchester since “Fergie”‘s farewell to the league gold in 2013.
– The last ten minutes there … where City fans shouted every time they hit a pass. It was the pinnacle of humiliation, showing how far away from United is City after 10 years without Ferguson. It is difficult to find any hope on a day like this, says Holth.
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LITTLE SMILE FOR: Sir Alex Ferguson did not have a pleasant evening at Etihad on Sunday. United interim manager Ralf Rangnick had the following excuse to give to the club website:
“Manchester City are the best team in the world when it comes to ball possession, and it is risky to push them hard,” he says.
– I think we played a good first half, even the first 60 were ok. Every time we had the ball we showed that we could create trouble for them, but when they scored the third it was over, says the German.
It should be said that Manchester United lacked their big star Cristiano Ronaldo, but it was missed by another player who was noticed the most, according to Holth.
– It should be said that the little hope they had lost that Raphael Varane was not ready for the match, because here it was clear that Ragnick only wanted to control the match, and not attack. There were not many United supporters who had faith in points, even after the equalizer to Sancho, he says, and adds:
– And it does not seem that there are so many of the players who do it either. There are many who do not understand why they should run the extra kilometer, even towards City. It is an environment you have not managed to get rid of, he says.
– Of course it’s frustrating. Obviously you want to win in a derby, but we just have to admit that they were better, especially in the second half. They showed what a top team they are, says Rangnick.
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GREAT FORM: Kevin De Bruyne delivered a huge match for the home team, scored two goals, and was rewarded with a 9.9 rating on SofaScore. –
