New Delhi: When we talk about Manchester derbies, you can always expect the excitement and drama from the very first moment of the match. However, tonight’s derby was quite the opposite from how the fans anticipated it to be, as the lack of creativity and finishing touch was clearly absent from the very first minute of the game. Manchester City did dominate the possession game as United managed no real touches inside the hosts’ penalty area in the initial moments.
It took both the sides 21 straight minutes to witness the first shot of the game. Phil Foden attempted the game’s first shot, but his daring dipping effort missed the right post by a few yards. But that was better from City as they finally managed to get spomething out of their possession game. The longest wait for a shot in a Premier League Manchester derby since 2006–07 was 12 minutes in October 2015, but Foden’s effort in the 21st minute made it the longest this time around.
This has only raised questions about how offensivey dull the two Manchester sides have been throughout the campaign. City, who are well known for their attacking prospects and playmaking on the pitch, have looked far from their standards this season. When it comes to United, it was a disappointing start for the visitors as they just couldn’t get their feet sorted, struggling to win the possession against their tricky neighbours.
A slow start didn’t stop City to take the lead in the first half
21 – Phil Foden’s shot in the 21st minute was the first attempt in this match, the longest wait on record (since 2006-07) for a first shot in a Premier League Manchester derby. Cagey. #MCIMUN
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) December 15, 2024
Despite the lack of creativity, Amad Diallo did give the hosts a major scare when he was put through on goal by Diogo Dalot, but the winger missed the right post with his shot. Maybe to his relief, the goal would not have counted anyhow when the flag finally went up for offside. It was finally a moment that promised something for United but they soon went behind when Kevin De Bruyne took short corner, which was passed back to him by Gundogan and with a bit of luck, the ball looped into the penalty area after being deflected by the closing Amad.
Josko Gvardiol seized the opportunity, rising to his feet to nod back across goal and into the far corner. This strong header from the Croatian defender, who is building quite a reputation of becoming a proper goal scoring defender, gave Pep Guardiola’s side an extremely crucial lead against their travelling neighbours.
The 195th edition of Manchester derby at Etihad had a rather slow start as Phil Foden’s first shot on target broke a Derby record Football Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
