The 195th Manchester Derby has run its course with Manchester United and Manchester City enduring a closely contested contest at the Etihad.
Ruben Amorim will be disappointed on the short trip back to the red side of Manchester tonight.
After so much was made of Pep Guardiola’s struggles at City, ultimately Manchester United were just not good enough to take advantage.
It was another corner goal which saw United go 1-0 down after a deflected cross found Josko Gvardiol for a free header.
United then allowed a handful of chances to go amiss, with Bruno Fernandes squandering one huge chance as his chip went agonisingly wide.
However, he made up for it in the 88th minute as he sent Ederson the wrong way from the penalty spot to equalise.
Moments later, Amad Diallo scored a brilliant goal to secure all three points for United.
AMAD DIALLO PUTS MAN UNITED AHEAD IN THE 90TH MINUTE! 🌟 pic.twitter.com/Q3I684gEDz
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) December 15, 2024
Amad Diallo wins Manchester United the game
United’s resident magician was labelled by Gary Neville to be an “absolute shining light”, and he turned defeat into victory in the dying moments against City.
First, Amad won United the penalty which Bruno equalised from, but it got even better for the Ivorian.
Moments later, he scored an incredible goal, controlling the ball over Ederson before scoring in what was an incredible moment for United’s new hero.
Manchester United’s defence deserves credit
Amid the euphoria of Amad’s winner, we cannot ignore the brilliance that Harry Maguire, Lisandro Martinez and Matthijs de Ligt displayed.
Besides conceding from a weird corner which none of the three were involved in, City did not have a real sniff at goal.
This is a testament to the trio who locked Erling Haaland down completely – Maguire in particular. This performance could be a watershed moment this season.
Andreas Georgson needs to be replaced
Another game and another goal was conceded from set pieces for United and it is becoming Amorims biggest issue at the club.
42 per cent of United’s goals conceded in the league this season have been from set-pieces, eight of 19 so far.
The criticism for this should fall on the shoulders of Andreas Georgson who was appointed set-pieces coach under Erik ten Hag, but now Amorim will surely be asking for a replacement.
United must solve Mason Mount problem in 2025
Since joining United for £55m from Chelsea in 2023, Mason Mount has seemed cursed as he can barely string a run of games together due to injury.
After impressing recently, fans were excited to see what he could do against City – however, Mount saw his evening end after 12 minutes which saw the No.7 look devastated.
This could be the last straw in Mount’s time at United despite Amorim’s backing. Ineos will not be impressed as he continues to collect a massive wage.
Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho are in big trouble
One thing we learned before a ball had even been kicked on Sunday was related to both Alejandro Garnacho and Marcus Rashford being left out of the squad.
For Amorim to exclude both, and publicly slate them – says a lot about how the Portuguese head coach must be feeling about the attacking pair.
Ineos are expected to undergo an overhaul next year and weeks before the January transfer window, this is as clear a sign as any that Garnacho and Rashford are far from safe.