Manchester Is Red. Again. Always
A derby morning that reminded the world who owns this city
7:30 kickoffs are never easy to get yourself hype for, even when it is the Manchester Derby. Better me than United fans on the West Coast, but the Reds made it a morning to relish. Considering last weekend’s FA Cup crash out and the performance in the reverse fixture, I woke up a bit anxious. As critical as I may be of some United players, I recognize the class within the squad; however, this is a Manchester City side with heavy investment and world-class talent across the board. Erling Haaland is an absolute world beater with 20 goals in 22 games in the Premier League. Phil Foden is two seasons removed from being the Premier League PFA player of the year. Who could forget Jeremy Doku and Antoine Semenyo being chaotic on the wings? And with the cherry on top, Rodri sits in the heart of the midfield, a Balon’Dor winner. January 17th, 2026, Manchester United reminded them that none of that matters because Manchester will forever be RED.
Before I express how overjoyed I am with the win today, I want to get the nonsense out of the way. I woke up at 6 o’clock to find the lineup had leaked-something reminiscent of the toxic locker rooms of old. Things like that are so embarrasing and it’s unfortunate to see a return while the club endures an uneasy spell- holistically.
Nonetheless, within those leaks, I was pleased to see the pairing of Harry Maguire and Lisandro Martinez being featured in the lineup. We have not seen this pairing since December 2024, and the maturity they bring to games like today’s is immense. Yoro and Heaven are great players with tremendous upside, but it is always important to keep in mind that they are still young and very much finding their feet in their careers. The solidity Maguire offers and the leadership Martinez can bring to any side he plays on go a long way toward advancing their ambitions.
Since metrical statistics began to be recorded, this is Manchester United’s largest xG margin in a game against Manchester City. For my non-soccer readers, xG is a metric used to measure the quality of a goal-scoring opportunity. The higher the xG, the more likely the player should have turned that chance into a goal. What this margin of 2.03-0.45 tells is that United created enough chances to have two goals while defensively nullifying any City advances. With Amad and Mbuemo returning from AFCON, Matthaijs de Ligt remains the only player out with injury.
With his first game as caretaker manager, Michael Carrick set up a masterplan to get his first win. The lineup he put out saw Matheus Cunha being shown to the bench in place of Patrick Dorgu. While a big fan of both, from what I’m accustomed to seeing, Cunha offers more influence in proceedings. It seems like Michael Carrick might be a secret reader of the publication, as he reverted to a heavy counterattacking side. I’ve always made the point that the team performs better when there’s no emphasis on possessing and dominating the flow of the game. Our last best league finish was from a side that relied heavily on the counterattack while struggling against teams that play a low block. Pep’s teams are all famous for their implementation of Tiki-Taka and possession-heavy football. Manchester United conceded 68% of possession to their rivals, but, as United have done at many points this season, City maintained possession without creating anything tangible. As soon as the game began, Bruno Fernandes was deployed alongside Mbuemo, seeking to be a nuisance for the two center-backs. Mbeumo played as the striker while also flirting with the half spaces around the right wing, so they traded turns, making runs in and around the last line of defense. Mix this with his ability on the ball to create for his teammates, and Bruno Fernandes served as the perfect antithesis to Rodri in the way both managers employed their teams to play.
Chances were created early, but I’ll imagine Pep Guardiola is fuming with the VAR’s decision to keep Diogo Dalot on the pitch. Another trademark performance by Dalot in the way he single-handedly played double agent and tried to remove all the energy from Old Trafford. To set the stage for his nail-biting performance, Dalot picked up a yellow card on a foul on Jeremy Doku in the 11th minute. Like the rest of the world, I am absolutely shocked Dalot hasn’t picked up a red card as he caught Doku so high up on his leg. He just keeps being sloppy in situations that require clinical precision, while he continues to lack conviction. Amad’s return was a major asset to the teams set up, as it looked as if Michael Carrick had assembled a pacey team to burst into attack. United netted 3 goals that were chalked off for offside. It is worth noting that Manchester City is in the midst of an injury crisis, with Pep having to start Max Alleyne in the Manchester Derby. This played into United’s favor as the immature City back line seemed to get caught up in the occasion. A first half of missed opportunities set up a second 45 that rewarded the viewers’ support.
20 minutes into the second half, United breaks into another counterattack off a City corner, as City defenders are not able to track the pace United has going forward. Bruno Fernandes and Bryan Mbeumo create confusion between the center-backs, leading to Bruno playing in Mbuemo, who slots in a tidy finish into the bottom corner. The finish set the stadium ablaze as Guardiola sank into his dugout out of ideas to change the game. Minutes after coming onto the pitch, Cunha drifts onto the right flank, getting away from his defender as he was able to cross the ball into Dorgu, who put up United 2-0. Shortly after this goal, Pep Guardiola takes off Erling Haaland- essentially conceding defeat.
I find it so fascinating that these sports teams can reel you back in despite incompetence and constant letdowns. I caught myself smiling at Michael Carrick as cameras captured him in elation after securing such an important win. Having just around five days to prepare for such a big game is an incredible task, and I am happy with how he and the players performed. While the board might want to relax with the good feel around this result, United go away to Arsenal for a battle against the league leaders. I believe the players executed the game plan to a tee, and they can do the same to pick up a win against Arsenal. This is how these players know how to play. Our captain, Bruno Fernandes, was the face of Ole’s counterattacking United side, and that style of constant unpredictability and things happening on a knife’s edge is what he has made a career out of.
This, however, should not distract the fanbase from the need for a midfielder. To be stuck in limbo about whether we’re re-signing Casemiro, instead of talking and showing ambition to get a new midfielder, is embarrassing. Despite suffering defeat today, it doesn’t change the fact that Manchester City have gone and purchased 2 players- closing in on a 3rd- that I believed United needed to elevate the side to a contender. As if that’s not disheartening, Adam Wharton has been linked with a move to Spurs as United fans continue to watch Ugarte. United seemed to make a move to sign Semenyo for over 60 million, but now have no money to invest in a midfielder?
I want to close this article by praising Lisandro Martinez’s performance. In the build-up to the match, United legends Nick Butt and Paul Scholes joked about Martinez facing Haaland. The two legends said very demeaning things, and it’s so disappointing to see United legends continue to trash our own players. From a fan, it’s understandable, but seeing comments like what these two made, considering they have been in that position, is just shocking. The fact that they’ll come out and speak constantly about the players and managers, but never about the owners, is interesting, to say the least.