David Moyes managed his first ever Manchester derby entering the game with a record of not picking up a single victory in any derby game he has managed in England. Though not a stranger to derbies, Moyes and his team were crushed 4 - 1 at the Manchester City stadium(Etihad) making it the second time Manchester United have suffered a massive defeat at the hands of their city rivals in the last three years.
Sergio Aguero’s superb opener put the hosts in the ascendancy after 16 minutes, and Yaya Toure’s close-range goal in first-half injury-time left the Reds - shorn of the injured Robin van Persie - struggling to retain a foothold in the game.
That perilous position was compounded by a disastrous opening to the second half, as City struck twice in five minutes, again with slack marking playing a part in United’s demise as Aguero and Samir Nasri were given time and space to beat the exposed De Gea.
Pride smarting and with City increasingly inclined to sit back on their advantage and look to strike on the counter-attack, United showed greater purpose thereafter and began creating chances.
However, City’s defence was as obdurate as its midfield and attacking counterparts were incisive, and the Reds' only consolation came when Wayne Rooney curled home a magnificent 87th-minute free-kick.
David Moyes’ side had been condemned to a second defeat of the season long before that point.
Before the game, so much was said about the expected midfield battle between Man city's Yaya Toure and his Old Trafford counter part Marouane Fellaini but when the battle line was drawn, Yaya Toure provided a man of the match performance, covering all area of the pitch and pinning Manchester united players right in their own half. Many expected Yaya Toure to spend more time trying to defend his teams' backline because of United tendency to attack on the counter, but that wasn't the case. Yaya Toure spent almost the whole 90mins in United's half which yeiled, two shots and a goal. With the ball, toure recorded an 85% pass completion rate. he was capable of leading incisive breaks on the right wing which caused too much trouble for the united defence.
While on the other hand the Belgian Afro man Fellaini had a below bar performance, and also having a hand in two out of four city goals.
Many United fans might be wondering how all this could have happened to their beloved Red devils, but the answer is not far fetched. The team couldn't match the pace and physicality of their sky blue neighbours. Even at the dying minutes of the game when United seemed determined to try and get something from the game, Vincent Kompany and company stood firm to ensure they never tried any of such.
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