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'Cityzens' arrest - Manchester United lose to cross-town rivals 3-1

Published:Sunday | November 11, 2018 | 12:00 AM
Manchester City's Ilkay Gündogan celebrates after scoring his side's third goal during their English Premier League derby game with rivals Manchester United at the Etihad stadium in Manchester, England yesterday.

MANCHESTER, England (AP):

The fourth goal in the Manchester derby showed that the gulf between the two rivals is not only widening in their English Premier League (EPL) positions, but in technical quality as well.

With slickness and finesse, Manchester City strung together a 44-pass move before Ilkay G¸ndogan completed a 3-1 victory for the league leaders over Manchester United, yesterday.

City's 12-point advantage over United is the largest after 12 games in the post-1992 EPL era. And JosÈ Mourinho's eighth-place team is as close to Cardiff in the relegation zone as it is to defending champion City at the top.

"I think we are not going to be relegated," Mourinho said dryly when United's position was pointed out. "I think it's not a bad performance at all. It's a performance with mistakes. We paid for the mistakes. All the three goals are our mistakes."

Completely outplayed by English football's dominant force, Mourinho has little prospect of dethroning City as champions. A third attempt at bringing the EPL trophy back to Old Trafford for the first time since Alex Ferguson retired in a blaze of glory in 2013 already appears over after barely a third of the season.

City's opener came in the 13th minute when Raheem Sterling crossed to Bernardo Silva, who cut the ball back for David Silva to sweep into the net.

 

POGBA OUT

 

The only surprise was City's inability to pile on more goals, with David Silva and Sergio Aguero also netting in a match where United was restricted to one shot on target, 36 per cent possession and lacked the verve provided by the injured Paul Pogba.

"The way people who don't understand football analyse it is with stats," Mourinho said. "I don't go for stats."

The manager could look at his players' lack of urgency on the ball.

Three minutes into the second half, Jesse Lingard conceded possession on the halfway line to Fernandinho, who set Aguero free on a run to goal. After playing a one-two with Riyad Mahrez, Aguero struck through David De Gea's raised arms at the near post to celebrate his new silver haircut with a goal.

Something did go right for United after Lingard was replaced by Romelu Lukaku.

The striker had been on the pitch only a minute when he was brought down by City goalkeeper Ederson, and Anthony Martial reduced the deficit from the penalty spot.

"We were in a fight to try to get the equaliser," Mourinho said.

Then the third goal came in the 44-pass move that started with Benjamin Mendy seizing control of the ball and ended with G¸ndogan left clear by Nemanja Matic to meet Bernardo Silva's cross and put the ball past De Gea in the 86th minute.

 

Yesterday's EPL results:

 

- Liverpool 2-0 Fulham

- Chelsea 0-0 Everton

- Arsenal 1-1 Wolves

- Man City 3-1 Man United