Manchester City are two points behind where they were at this point last season, but in their 3-1 slaughter of archrivals Manchester United on Sunday the defending champions showed they might actually be even better.
What was most impressive about the Manchester derby win was how easy it looked for City. From kickoff to the final whistle, City barely broke a sweat, spending their time jogging around the pitch, calmly passing the ball around their increasingly dispirited opponents.
Pep Guardiola’s fast-moving machine of a team bested United in every aspect of the game, but it was their passing that really overpowered their opponents. Led by David Silva and Bernardo Silva, City completed a mind-numbing 91-percent of their passes, tallying a staggering 704 passes to United’s pedestrian 380.
This dominance was most clear was in the game’s final 20 minutes, after United manager Jose Mourinho, down 2-1, put on his last two subs in an attempt to infuse his team with some much needed attacking vigor to earn a draw. Instead, City suffocated the life out of the game, not by hanging back and absorbing the Red Devils’ attack, but by never giving them a chance to get one going.
During this final act, United barely even saw the ball, forced to watch as their opponents effortlessly stroked the ball around the pitch. But as much as it may have looked like it, City weren’t just playing keep away. Slowly but surely, they were moving the ball forward, pinning United back when they so desperately wanted to drive forward. Eventually, the Red Devils were forced to gamble, at last attempting to get the ball back on the press, which left Ilkay Gundogan unmarked in the box in the 86th minute, where he calmly slotted the ball home to put the game away for good.
Local derbies are about passion, a chance for one team to make clear that the city is theirs. This was more than that, though. City’s performance made clear there’s no doubt who the best team in Manchester is and even United fans would tell you there hasn’t been since Alex Ferguson retired five-and-a-half years ago. Sunday, if anything, was about how big the gap between the two teams is at this point.
But this game wasn’t just about the city of Manchester, it was about the league as a whole. City is only leading Liverpool by two points, and Chelsea by four, at the top of the table, but the gap feels much larger. While everyone else in the Premier League has a fatal flaw or is struggling to play their best, City continue to wreck every team they play. And all this is happening with their best player, Kevin De Bruyne, out with a knee injury. As good as City have looked this year, they’ve barely spent any time at full strength. And because of this it’s hard not to believe that the title chase is over, even if it’s only November.
Goal of the Week
Sergio Aguero, Manchester City
As much as it may sound like it, City didn’t just pass United into submission. Just look at their second goal, from Aguero, which basically ended the derby shortly after halftime. Out wide, many, including David de Gea, may have expected the forward to cross, but instead he went for goal, rifling a shot right through the hands of the helpless United keeper.
Card of the Week
Dale Stephens, Brighton
Having lost their early lead against Cardiff, things went from bad to worse for Brighton when Stephens was sent off for a reckless (and pointless) challenge just after the half-hour mark. The card forced the Seagulls to try to weather the final hour down a man, which they almost did … until Sol Bamba scored in the 90th, denying Brighton what could be a vital point come the end of the season.
