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Half-Time Report: Goalless first half at Old Trafford

Manchester United and Manchester City fail to break the deadlock in the first half of the Manchester derby at Old Trafford.

Manchester United and Manchester City have headed into half time level following a goalless first half with few chances at Old Trafford in the Premier League.

Anthony Martial of Manchester United is tackled by Vincent Kompany of Manchester City during the Barclays Premier League match between Manchester United and Manchester City at Old Trafford on October 25, 2015 in Manchester, England.© Getty Images

After a cagey opening 10 minutes, the first real chance of the match fell to the visitors as Fernandinho played the ball in for Raheem Sterling, leaving the England international to unleash a shot from the edge of the area, but the finish was deflected wide.

The hosts started to dominate possession, but United were unable to make the most of a free kick into the box from Juan Mata, while the Spaniard was involved again a few moments later, failing to connect with Ander Herrera.

Louis van Gaal's side continued to grow in confidence as the half-hour mark approached, despite Wayne Rooney picking up a cut to his head, creating space for Anthony Martial to weave past two defenders before playing the ball in for Mata, but his pass to Rooney went astray.

City forced a free kick in a promising position down the other end, but Bastian Schweinsteiger was on hand to clear Kevin de Bruyne's delivery, while a cross in from Sterling a couple of minutes later failed to find any of his teammates.

The visitors continued to look the more likely in the final five minutes of the half, with Yaya Toure coming close with a header after the Ivorian forced a corner, but the midfielder was unable to test David de Gea with his effort.

There was time for the home side to get the ball back towards the City goal though, but Valencia conceded a free kick while trying to set something up, while a Rooney delivery in from out wide was cleared by the City defenders.

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Anthony Martial of Manchester United in action during the Barclays Premier League match between Manchester United and Sunderland at Old Trafford on September 26, 2015 in Manchester, United Kingdom.
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