MAN CITY 1 – 0 Manchester United – MY THOUGHTS

Phew! The relief at the final whistle yesterday was immense, not just because the margin of victory was so tight, or because City had to withstand some late pressure, but because derbies are horrible. They are excruciating. They play with your emotions and they leave you drained.

This was a game City deserved to win and would have won far more comfortably had the referee’s whistle been used properly, but even if it were not the most attractive, or even significant, derby  of recent years, it felt like one of the most tense. It may not have been a 6-1 humiliation at the home of your hated rivals or a defining 1-0 victory to drive to the title, but winning derbies will never cease to thrill. This was a patchy affair, scrappy in periods with only occasional glimpses of the quality that both sides possess, but when the match is over and your side has been victorious, the joy is brilliantly pure.

In many ways, it was a strange game. City, lacking in confidence, were sloppy and unable to assert control in midfield. Only when United were reduced to ten men did the Blues finally begin to demonstrate what an entertaining team they can be. And even then, that was only a relatively brief show. At the ground, it felt like the visitors had the better of the opening half an hour, enjoying an extra man in the middle and they moved the ball prettily, taking the sting out of the game. Even at the end, down a man and surely exhausted, it seemed like they finished the stronger. Yet that doesn’t quite tell the whole story.

For all the in-game perceptions and post-match reaction – of this being an improving, impressive United side against an out-of-form, disjointed City – the action actually reveals something different. City had three certain penalties denied, one of which would have resulted in the away team dropping to nine men, hit the woodwork, forced David De Gea into a string of saves and missed a host of chances. At the other end of the pitch, Joe Hart was called into action just twice. Perhaps it was derby day playing tricks with the mind, but this was a far more dominant City display than it felt at the time.

That is not to say it was perfect. Far from it, in fact, and had City not found the breakthrough then there would have been stern glances in the direction of Manuel Pellegrini. The Chilean came into this encounter with questions marks hanging above him regarding his system and tactics, and despite Sergio Aguero’s goal, he did little to dispel them. It would be wrong, of course, to criticise him too heavily; after all, he has now won all three of his Manchester derbies, but, equally, it would be naive to ignore the fact that he did somewhat get away it yesterday.

Until Chris Smalling’s sending off, the reality is that United were in passive control. They were comfortable in possession, happy to drop deep and try to drag City out of position. With their two centre-backs splitting wide, Daley Blind stepping into that gap and then Wayne Rooney and Marouane Fellaini in more withdrawn roles than would often be expected, they always had an extra man in midfield. Admittedly, they did not achieve a great deal with their possession, but for lengthy stretches of the first half City struggled to gain a foothold in the game.

Pellegrini had included Stevan Jovetic ahead of either Edin Dzeko or Samir Nasri, presumably for his energy and ability to operate just behind Aguero, but Jovetic couldn’t work his way into proceedings. He didn’t drop deep enough to act as a third central midfielder, nor did he show too great an appetite to close United’s defenders down. He is undoubtedly an exciting player, one who has shown flashes of his silky touch and invention, but he found life tough. Up until the moment when Smalling was shown his marching orders, Pellegrini’s tactics were not working.

And then, after City had gained the lead and were looking exceedingly dangerous in the push for a second, Pellegrini handed the initiative back to United with the bizarre substitution of James Milner. Unless he was injured – and it did not look like that was the case – it was a baffling switch. Milner had been one of City’s top players, marrying an attacking threat with defensive discipline that helped to limit the considerable presence of Angel Di Maria. Yet off he went and on came Samir Nasri. At a time when United were down to ten men and tiring, City needed to stretch the game. Milner was doing just that, sticking out wide on the left and providing balance, but Nasri is a different type of player. He likes to drift infield and take more touches on the ball. Creative, yes. Naturally gifted, yes. But not what was needed yesterday.

Fortunately for Pellegrini, his defenders were on form, especially Martin Demichelis and Gael Clichy. The former was magnificent, dominant in the air, laser-like with his interceptions and the perfect partner for Vincent Kompany. The latter, drafted into the side at incredibly late notice to replace the injured Aleks Kolarov, was the best player on the pitch. He has had a troubled start to the season, Clichy, but in nullifying both Adnan Januzaj and Di Maria, and also providing the assist for Aguero, he bounced back in admirable fashion.

If nothing else, this victory proves the point that if City can defend tightly and keep a clean sheet, then even when the attacking players are not firing all it takes is one moment of quality – in this instance, a perfect pass from Yaya and a clinical finish from Aguero – to attain the three points. This was supposedly United’s best performance of the season, yet even at nowhere near their best, City had far too much. After so many years of derby deflation, what pleasure it gives me to write that.

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