"They are so far off it's hard to watch" - Roy Keane reacts to Manchester United performance in 3-0 loss to Manchester City
The derby turned out to be a nightmare for Manchester United fans, including former midfielder Roy Keane, as they suffered a crushing 3-0 defeat at the hands of Manchester City.
Erling Haaland's 26th minute penalty gave City the lead before the Norwegian doubled their advantage in the 49th minute. Phil Foden scored the third and put the tie to rest in the 80th minute.
The numbers showed just how poor United were, as City's expected goals (xG) tally hovered at 3.94. Clearly, the scoreline could've been worse for the Red Devils.
Speaking about United's performance after the match, Roy Keane said (via United Zone):
"They [Manchester United] are so far off it's hard to watch. Long way back."
Despite a recent string of narrow victories, Manchester United's on-pitch shortcomings are becoming harder to ignore. Interestingly, Manchester City had been grappling with a minor crisis of their own, having lost their last two away fixtures in the Premier League.
Yet, they found their groove with staggering ease against a United side who, but for the heroics of goalkeeper Andre Onana, could have conceded even more. Onana's acrobatic saves were one of the few silver linings on a cloudy Manchester evening for United, but they only served to reveal other glaring deficiencies.
Erling Haaland's brilliance and derby dominance stun Manchester United at Old Trafford
The first goal came about from a penalty kick, awarded after Rasmus Hojlund's infringement on Rodri inside the 18-yard box. While play was originally waved on, the penalty was awarded by referee Paul Tierney upon VAR consultation. Erling Haaland converted, setting the tempo for a sublime City performance.
Taking his tally to 11 for the season, Haaland later demonstrated his aerial prowess, heading one past Andre Onana. The goalkeeper had previously denied him with a jaw-dropping save in the dying moments of the first half.
Onana did manage to thwart Haaland's bid for a hat-trick in a one-on-one situation later in the game. However, he could do little as the striker selflessly squared the ball to Phil Foden, who obliged with a tap-in to extinguish any flicker of hope for Manchester United.
Manchester United's attempts to breach City's defense were few and far between. A first-half rocket from Scott McTominay was skillfully tipped over the bar by Ederson, and Marcus Rashford sent a promising opportunity awry in the second half.
Stuck in eighth place and trailing Tottenham Hotspur by a daunting 11 points, Manchester United are spiraling further away from the title conversation.