da fazobetai： Manchester City have now won five out of the last six Manchester derbies against United after a 1-0 victory at the Etihad on Sunday, but unlike the previous games the Red Devils – even with one man down – were giving the Premier League champions a run for their money.
da betsson： Yes, there were some bad refereeing decisions which could have made it a more comfortable victory for the Citizens, but United were playing like the United of old… with pace and accuracy.
So after the fixture, who were the winners and losers from the Manchester derby?
[ffc-gallery]CLICK ON THE CITIZENS TO SEE THE FULL LIST!
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Loser: The referees
We don’t know if Michael Oliver was trying to be righteous, or if he honestly doesn’t know what a penalty is.
Manchester United went down to ten men after Chris Smalling was correctly sent-off for his tackle on James Milner, earning him a second yellow card. But after that it looked like Oliver was extremely reluctant to give City a penalty, despite having a clear view and the incident being fairly clear cut.
Firstly, Aguero was clearly tripped by Marouane Fellaini in the box, but that – and the alleged spit by Fellaini – was ignored and play resumed.
However, when Marcos Rojo clearly went in from behind Yaya Toure right before half-time, it was almost certain the referee would blow for a penalty – and possibly a red card – he didn’t.
There was another incident involving Aguero and Michael Carrick but the trend continued, so the Premier League top scorer took matters into his own hands and grabbed the winner, but it should have been a much more comfortable victory.
Winner: Marouane Fellaini
Dare we say it? Only a few months ago Marouane Fellaini was labelled as one of the biggest transfer flops of last season, but now the big Belgian is playing some of the best football of his career.
The former Everton star held the ball up well and was precise in his passing, not to mention Fellaini displayed some deft touches that showed he is not all about strength and aerial ability.
But that is what Fellaini gives, when Man United’s short passing game hits a roadblock, a long ball can be hurled upfield and the afro-haired midfielder will more likely than not outmuscle his marker and bring the ball down Ibrahimovic-style. Now if you can do something like Zlatan there’s not much more of a compliment.
Expect to see Fellaini starting more often than previously expected, but even when not used there is not many who are better at being a game-changing substitute.
Loser: Chris Smalling
Chris Smalling is almost definitely the reason Manchester United lost out to their ‘noisy neighbours’ on Sunday after being sent off for two ‘stupid’ yellow card offences right before the stroke of half-time.
The loss itself is already a blow, but in the bigger picture the Red Devils have a major shortage of defenders and the suspension of Smalling, even for the visit of Crystal Palace, is a major issue.
This means that Michael Carrick is set to play out of position at centre-back, with his partner being one of either Tyler Blackett or Paddy McNair, who are both no older than 20.
Smalling will hope that he gets another chance after his suspension, as several of the other first choice defenders are recovering from their respective injuries.
Winner: Sergio Aguero
After not being able to replicate his amazing four-goal haul against Tottenham when City played West Ham United last week, Sergio Aguero showed again why he is the most feared striker in the Premier League by grabbing the winner that looked easier than it actually was.
The Argentine also had several penalty shouts dismissed by the referee, which on another day would have been given and earned his side two more goals (if Yaya Toure was to score it).
However, the biggest victory for Aguero is his battle to keep fit, as his niggling hamstring problems look to be behind him after starting in eight consecutive Premier League games.
Loser: Manuel Pellegrini
The Manchester City boss has been under some pressure after some disappointing performances lately, and despite the win the Chilean boss didn’t cover himself in glory after not being able to convincingly finish off Man United who had a man down.
The Red Devils were close to getting an equaliser and Pellegrini seemed unable to react to United’s late push, even taking off Aguero and replacing him with defensive midfielder Fernandinho which put City’s back line under even more pressure.
Pellegrini now has a much easier set of league fixtures coming up but if his side don’t perform well in these games – as well as the Champions League group stage clashes – then the former Malaga boss could be under-fire before Christmas.