Selection

United’s preparations were thrown off kilter by the absence of Paul Pogba. The man who netted a brace in April’s 3-2 comeback win at the Etihad Stadium was denied a return by the knock picked up in the midweek victory at Juventus. Marouane Fellaini, who made an impact off the bench in Turin, came in as Alexis Sanchez dropped out in favour of 2016 derby hero Marcus Rashford. Sharp-shooter Aguero returned to the starting line-up despite Gabriel Jesus’ hat-trick heroics against Shakhtar Donetsk, while Riyad Mahrez was favoured in place of Leroy Sane.

Tactics

City have scored 12 goals in the previous week alone, so it was little surprise to see the home side go for the jugular once more. Aymeric Laporte and John Stones provided a study centre-back pairing that was flanked by rapid full-backs, with Fernandinho playing just ahead to break up the play and start attacks. Pogba’s enforced absence meant Mourinho took an even more pragmatic approach, with three defence-minded midfielders shielding a four-man backline. United were set up to make their mark aerially and capitalise on their set-piece prowess but looked vulnerable at the back early on. ‘Park the bus Man United’ echoed around the Etihad Stadium, where chants turned to cheers as David Silva turned home at the end of a fine move in the 12th minute as any game plan took a setback.

Touchline decisions

Guardiola and Mourinho were on the touchline at the start, but the latter retreated, taking a seat between coaches Michael Carrick and Kieran McKenna, as he jotted down notes following the opener. United would react with a more solid shape and coherence in possession but struggled to create a clear-cut chance in a first half that only had one shot on target in total. Aguero rifled home as a lax United moment was lapped up by City, leading Mourinho to turn to substitute Romelu Lukaku in a bid to change the game. It paid immediate dividends as the striker’s directness drew a foul from Ederson and a penalty that Martial struck home. Guardiola reacted by replacing the ineffective Mahrez with Sane, while Mourinho turned to Juan Mata and Alexis Sanchez. With the game becoming stretched, Aguero made way for midfielder Ilkay Gundogan – the player who would turn home City’s third from a fine Bernardo Silva cross.

Overall

Guardiola won his 10th match of 22 in total against Mourinho in all competitions as City put a week of off-field allegations behind them with another solid display on the pitch. Mourinho’s 300th Premier League match as a manager ended in his 44th defeat as United were unable to recover from their latest slow start. Guardiola would have wanted to see a little more from his side, but they did enough to secure the win. It helped that United were so toothless from open play.

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