The Premier League is considered to be one of the most entertaining divisions in world football, but beyond that, it’s also seen as the most shocking. This evening it lived up to its reputation and then some, as Jose Mourinho was able to mastermind a fantastic comeback at the Etihad which saw Manchester United prevent rivals Manchester City from becoming the champions of England.
Obviously, the gap at the top of the table is still 13 points, and City will almost certainly still be crowned champions, but it isn’t about that. This victory signified that The Red Devils are able to overcome adversity even when things are looking bleak, and have the ability to pull out special performances. That’s something we haven’t seen from them since the days of Sir Alex Ferguson, and it’s a promising sign for their fanbase moving forward.
Sticking to the script
From the word go it seemed as if City were going to put on a clinic against their neighbours, especially after Vincent Kompany of all people was able to head the home side into the lead. City were in full control and it was turning out to be the perfect afternoon, as Ilkay Gundogan’s delightful finish put Pep Guardiola within touching distance of his first English league title as a manager.
The game looked like it was going to be signed, sealed and delivered by Raheem Sterling on a number of occasions, but unfortunately for the youngster, he managed to sky two fantastic opportunities over the bar with de Gea in no man’s land.
The comeback
From that point on United began to build their way back into the game, with Paul Pogba being the man who led the charge against the side he could’ve easily joined a few months back. His two goals in two minutes sent the away end into an absolute frenzy as City, much like they did against QPR on the day of the famous Aguero winner, were left to wonder where it had all gone wrong.
Chris Smalling confirmed what was starting to feel like an imminent turnaround with a lovely finish from Sanchez’s free kick, as the two sides continued to battle back and forth until the final whistle. The aforementioned Sergio Aguero went close with a great header, but de Gea produced a save of epic proportions to prove once and for all that it just wasn’t meant to be for City today.
Final Thoughts
Mourinho proved to the world that he still has some fight left in him, which is exactly what the Old Trafford faithful needed to see. United will now turn their attention towards winnable games against West Bromwich Albion and Bournemouth, meanwhile, City will try and salvage their Champions League hopes against Liverpool.
Match Report
Manchester City: Ederson (6), Danilo (6), Kompany (7), Otamendi (6), Delph (5.5), Gundogan (6.5), Bernardo Silva (6.5), Fernandinho (4), David Silva (7), Sane (7), Sterling (4)
Subs: Aguero (5.5), De Bruyne (6), Jesus (6)
Manchester United: De Gea (8), Young (5), Bailly (4.5), Smalling (6.5), Valencia (6.5), Lingard (6.5), Matic (6), Pogba (8), Herrera (6.5), Sanchez (7), Lukaku (5.5)
Subs: McTominay (6)
Referee: Martin Atkinson
Goals: Kompany 25′, Gundogan 30′ :: Pogba 53′ + 55′, Smalling 69′
Yellow Cards: Danilo, Kompany, Aguero, Fernandinho, Jesus, Sterling :: Herrera, Pogba, Lukaku
Red Cards: N/A
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