Match Report and Player Ratings: Manchester United 0-0 Manchester City (Premier League) | OneFootball

Manchester City played out a drab, toothless 0-0 draw against local rivals Manchester United at Old Trafford on Sunday afternoon.

Guardiola’s side were dealt a blow 45 seconds in when Ruben Dias found himself in the referee’s book after a foul on Manchester United’s Alejandro Garnacho just outside the penalty area, marking the earliest yellow card in a Premier League Manchester derby since 2006/07.

From the resulting free-kick, Bruno Fernandes fired his effort directly into the blue wall, which was an early let-off for Manchester City. It was then Phil Foden who had the first real sniff of goal in the 10th minute, but his low effort was wide without troubling Andre Onana.

Moments later, Onana was tested for the first time by Kevin De Bruyne, who spun away from his marker to let fire on his weaker left foot, however the Manchester United goalkeeper collected comfortably.

Manchester City then had to weather a storm of United pressure midway through the first-half as Alejandro Garnacho came close, heading into the ground from an excellent Diogo Dalot cross across the face of goal.

Shortly after, a great bit of play between Bruno Fernandes and Garnacho found left-back Patrick Dorgu, however his touch let him down and the reigning champions were able to get the ball clear.

The best chance for City came in the 40th minute when Ilkay Gundogan rushed forward to shift the ball onto his right to drive a shot towards the bottom left corner, and while Andre Onana looked beaten, the effort went just wide.

Pep Guardiola’s side came out from the half-time interval much more energised and generating more chances than they were able across the entirety of the first 45 minutes, with Phil Foden taking down an Omar Marmoush pass but scuffing a bright opening wide.

City continued to fight in search of an opener, with De Bruyne picking up the ball in a similar area to his earlier effort, opting for a left-footed strike once more. However, like before, it lacked the power or placement to trouble Andre Onana, who gathered comfortably.

The champions earned a promising free-kick just outside the box after Victor Lindelöf brought down Marmoush. Stepping up to take himself, the Egyptian dipped it over the wall and dangerously towards goal. However, Onana was alert and did well to save.

Manchester United almost found the breakthrough with just over 10 minutes to play as Patrick Dorgu fizzed a low cross into Joshua Zirkzee, but Ederson reacted superbly to block from close range and Mason Mount’s rebound lacking conviction before being cleared away.

United pushed forward in the dying moments, desperate to snatch a late winner; Bruno Fernandes floating in a dangerous ball, but Joško Gvardiol heading it away before Dorgu went for glory from the resulting corner, sending the ball well wide in a summary of a match short on quality in the final third.

The referee’s whistle brought an end to a cagey and certainly forgettable Manchester derby, with neither side able to find a breakthrough in a 0–0 draw. Despite flashes of quality and a handful of half-chances, the game lacked a cutting edge and clear opportunities.

Here’s how we rated the Manchester City players’ individual performances in Sunday afternoon’s goalless Manchester derby at Old Trafford!

Player Ratings

Starting XI

Ederson – 7

A fairly quiet afternoon for the Brazilian, however when called upon Ederson made a crucial save to deny Joshua Zirkzee a golden opportunity.

Matheus Nunes – 6.5

Showed glimpses of quality through his passing, however his defending was less convincing, often leaving Patrick Dorgu with too much space down the left hand side.

Ruben Dias – 6

After a poor start, the Portuguese centre-back gradually grew into the game by remaining defensively composed throughout.

Josko Gvardiol – 6.5

A solid performance from the Croatian international, delivering a composed performance and stepping in confidently when needed.

Nico O’Reilly – 7

Another good performance from the youngster, who was able to string together passes to create chances before being replaced by Rico Lewis in the second-half.

Mateo Kovacic – 5

A quiet game from Manchester City’s number 8, who also struggled with the threat of Bruno Fernandes.

Ilkay Gundogan – 6

A decent performance from the German, who came close to breaking the deadlock in the first-half. He remained composed throughout the game before being replaced by Jack Grealish.

Bernardo Silva – 7

The Portuguese midfielder really helped out defensively, especially in the second half dealing with Alejandro Garnacho.

Kevin De Bruyne – 6.5

Was constantly looking for the right passes throughout and to break the deadlock. Was unlucky his pass did not reach Omar Marmoush to open the scoring.

Phil Foden- 5

Another quiet game for the Englishman, who struggled to really make an impact. Could have scored in the second half but scuffed his shot under pressure from the Red Devils’ defence.

Omar Marmoush – 7.5 (POTM)

Probably Manchester City’s biggest threat. The Egyptian made some great runs on and off the ball and came close to scoring with a great effort from a free kick.

Substitutes

Jeremy Doku – 7

Did well when he replaced Foden and won some good fouls through the use of his dribbling to put us in better goalscoring opportunities.

Jack Grealish – 6

The Citizens’ number 10 did well to progress the ball forward and retain the ball.

Rico Lewis – N/A