Michael Carrick era off to perfect start as Manchester United thrash Manchester City 2-0 in derby
Bryan Mbeumo and Patrick Dorgu scored as Manchester United beat Manchester City 2-0 despite three disallowed goals in a heated Manchester Derby in the Premier League on Sunday.
Michael Carrick's tenure as the caretaker manager at Manchester United got off to a perfect start as the Red Devils thrashed arch-rivals Manchester City 2-0 in a heated derby in the Premier League on Sunday. Despite three disallowed goals, United comfortably dominated the game to emerge on top against Pep Guardiola's men at Old Trafford.
Bryan Mbeumo and Patrick Dorgu scored in the second half to help Manchester United seal a dominant victory and break into the top four in the Premier League points table. United are now fourth on the table with 35 points from 22 games, only eight points behind City, who were dealt a huge blow in the title race with the shattering defeat.
After days of disarray following former manager Ruben Amorim's departure and the club's shambolic defeat against Brighton in the FA Cup last week, it was a much-needed victory for United as Old Trafford welcomed Carrick into his second spell as the caretaker manager.
The expectations were not too high from United, but the hosts dominated the proceedings throughout the game and managed to find the back of the net as many as five times, though only two of the goals stood. City were kept in the game by goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma, who made some stunning saves to deny the likes of Amad Diallo, Casemiro and goalscorer Mbeumo.
Diallo scored in the 21st minute, but had the goal disallowed after being found offside. Fernandes too managed to beat Donnarumma with a brilliant finish in the 41st minute, but was found marginally offside as the goal was disallowed. The two disallowed goals saw United and City head into the break 0-0 with nothing to show for their efforts.
Mbeumo opened the scoring for United in the 65th minute after completing an exceptional counter-attack move led by Fernandes. Eleven minutes later, Dorgu doubled United's lead and made it 2-0 with the help of an assist from Matheus Cunha, who cut back and laid it off for the right back to finish emphatically.
United had another goal disallowed after Mason Mount scored late, and Diallo also came close to scoring, but could only hit the post. Nonetheless, it was a spirited performance from the hosts with the likes of Fernandes, Casemiro, Diallo and Mbeumo shining in the game.
Manchester City's title hopes dented after United thrashing
United's 2-0 thrashing hurt Manchester City's title chances as Guardiola's men remain winless in the Premier League in 2026. City had a chance to close the gap on league leaders Arsenal, who dropped points after a 0-0 draw against Liverpool in their last Premier League outing.
A win would have seen City move to 46 points, only three points off Arsenal at the top. However, they remain second with 43 points, giving Arsenal the chance to extend their lead to 9 points if they manage to beat Nottingham Forest in their upcoming Premier League clash on Sunday.
It was a hapless display from City, who lacked the passion and enthusiasm right from the start of the contest. United were the more dominant side and created plenty of chances, eventually securing a 2-0 victory. United had seven shots on target and hit the woodwork twice, while scoring twice, compared to City's solitary shot on target in the game.
United will hope to continue their momentum with a difficult set of fixtures lined up for interim manager Carrick, who couldn't have asked for a better start to his second reign at the club.