"They no doubt bottled it" - Gary Neville accuses Manchester United players after Manchester City defeat
Football pundit Gary Neville has slammed Manchester United for bottling it against Manchester City in a humiliating 6-3 defeat earlier on Sunday in the Premier League.
Erling Haaland and Phil Foden netted a hat-trick each for the Sky Blues, who registered their third derby win in a row.
The Red Devils trailed 6-1 at one point, but Anthony Martial came off the bench to score twice late on and reduce the deficit. But their four-game winning run came to an end.
Manchester City 6-3 Manchester United 🥴 https://t.co/89g5M6YVSb
It was yet another heavy defeat for the club, who have become used to such hammerings in recent times, and Neville, a former player, ripped into his former side for their performance.
Speaking after the game, he said (via Metro):
"It’s a consolation, City have made four changes, the game has got a bit open. United have scored three goals and obviously got better in the second half. But the story of the game is that he’ll [Ten Hag] look at that first half where his team froze and they no doubt bottled it.
"They weren’t anywhere near this game or occasion and that will be the part of the game that he’ll analyse most. To score three goals here is some consolation."
Manchester United trailed 4-0 at half-time after braces from Haaland and Foden, while Antony pulled one back for the visitors early into the restart.
After the City pair brought up their hat-tricks, Martial struck twice in the final 10 minutes of the clash to make it 6-3 and make the scoreline more respectable.
Summary of Manchester United's defending: https://t.co/SxlbfNnbKr
This was the first time they had struck thrice against City in the derby since 2018, but lost to their city rivals for the third time in a row.
Manchester United are down to sixth in the league table with 12 points from seven games while Manchester City are up in second place with 20.
Time for another inquest for Manchester United
Just when it seemed like things were going well, Manchester United were dealt another humiliation and brought back down to earth.
Manchester City cut through their defense like a knife through butter while offering no threat going forward, at least until late on.
The Red Devils were lacking in courage, conviction, and resolve while getting rolled over like skittles from a rolling ball.
Erik ten Hag's reign was gaining momentum but now, this has happened. It showed how much work the side still has to do.