5 Manchester United players who underperformed against Manchester City
Erling Haaland turned up the heat to help Manchester City register a comfortable 3-0 victory over rivals Manchester United on Sunday. City outclassed United throughout the game and Haaland bagged a brace and then provided the assist for Phil Foden's goal as well.
It was one of City's best performances so far this season and as for United, things just seem to be going from bad to worse. Erik ten Hag's men are a disjointed unit right now and somehow after all the improvement they showed in the 2022-23 season, they have regressed massively in the new campaign.
In addition to the 3-0 scoreline, the manner of the loss would have been especially infuriating for the Old Trafford faithful. United's players failed to match City's aggression and intensity. The gulf in class between the two sides is as clear as ever at the moment.
Without further ado, let's take a look at five Manchester United players who underperformed against Manchester City.
#5 Jonny Evans
Jonny Evans is perhaps the least surprising name on this list. Deploying the 35-year-old centre-back to keep an irrepressible Haaland in check felt like a poor call from Ten Hag and unsurprisingly, it didn't work out well for the Red Devils.
Evans left Haaland completely unmarked at the far post for City's second goal of the night after deciding to mark the wrong man. The Irishmen struggled to keep up with Haaland's pace all night and had an entirely forgettable outing in his first Manchester derby since 2011.
#4 Sofyan Amrabat
Sofyan Amrabat struggled to keep up with Manchester City's intensity as Phil Foden and Bernardo Silva ran him ragged in the first half. Deployed as a roaming midfielder, Amrabat charged in a second too late to challenges and gave away the foul that led to the set-piece from which City won the penalty.
He failed to have a positive influence on the game and was hooked at half-time. Manchester United fans will hope that this performance was an anomaly and that he'll turn in cleaner displays in the near future.
#3 Diogo Dalot
One of the key differences between Manchester City and Manchester United is that Guardiola's men are guaranteed to do certain things well.
Whether it's neat one-touch passing which facilitates sustained possession or producing enticing deliveries into the box once they find space on the wings, City e execute the basics very well. Diogo Dalot exemplifies United's ineptitude in doing the same.
There were several occasions during the game when the Red Devils were able to free up Dalot on the wing. With space and time at his disposal, the Portugal international's end product was consistently sub-par.
He either overhit crosses or failed to get enough purchase on them to swing the ball into dangerous areas where Hojlund could attack it. At other times, he simply hesitated too much and ended up giving the ball away. Dalot's defensive frailties were also exposed as Jack Grealish tormented him down his wing.
#2 Victor Lindelof
Picking Victor Lindelof over Sergio Reguilon, a natural left-back, was yet another dubious decision from Ten Hag. Lindelof couldn't justify his selection either. He was scarcely involved in the build-up and was a liability during defensive transitions.
The Swede had players running off his shoulders throughout the night and he couldn't keep up with or read the game well enough to thwart the attacks. United desperately need Luke Shaw back and until then, their left-back problems will continue.
#1 Marcus Rashford
Marcus Rashford was a passenger once again. It was one of those performances that illustrate how underconfident he is right now. Rashford was either late or looked uncommitted in challenges. He did play a lovely ball to Scott McTominay in the first half which the midfielder failed to take full advantage of.
However, Rashford subsequently scuppered United's best chance of the game and his body language was uninspiring throughout the game. Having scored just one goal in 13 matches across all competitions so far, it's starting to look strange that Ten Hag doesn't seem to even consider dropping him.