Michael Carrick started his Manchester United managing career in the best possible fashion after winning the derby against Man City this weekend. The Red Devils shocked their rival and put Pep Guardiola’s side’s title challenge under serious threat.
Man United Stunned City in Manchester Derby
Man U arrived at this weekend’s derby on a negative run, as they are winless in their last four consecutive matches across all competitions. Meanwhile, City league form in 2026 haven’t been convincing, but they won their last two games in the FA Cup and Carabao Cup.
However, there’s a potential new coach bounce for the home side following Michael Carrick’s appointment as the team’s caretaker. That motivation seems to be helping United players as they looked hungry and determined since kick-off.
The Red Devils managed to create plenty of problems for City’s defense with a swift and direct counterattacking play. Man United’s positive display was visible as they managed to score two goals, which were unfortunately ruled out for offside.
Nevertheless, that positive first-half performance seems to give Bruno Fernandes and co more confidence as they continue to put on a strong display in the second period. Man United finally got the breakthrough in 65 minutes through Bryan Mbuemo’s effort.
The home team doubled their advantage in the 76th minute thanks to Patrick Dorgu’s goal, which put Man City in deep trouble. Despite Man City‘s desperate effort, United managed to hold on and secure an important win in front of their home crowd.
Man City’s Title Challenge Gets Tougher After Defeat
Aside from losing the bragging rights, City’s defeat put their title shot under massive threat as they could be losing more ground against the table topper, Arsenal. At the moment, Pep Guardiola’s men are six points behind the Gunners, but that gap could get wider by the end of this weekend.
The 2-0 away loss also means that Man City are yet to win any league games so far in 2026, as they drew their previous three Premier League games this January. Injuries to some of their defenders, Josko Gvardiol, Ruben Neves, and John Stones seems to be causing major issues for the Citizens at the moment.
Guardiola will be hoping that his side can recover quickly from this weekend’s disappointment and regain their title shot. Fortunately, Man City are close to bolstering their defensive department as reports suggest that Marc Guehi is close to signing from Crystal Palace for 20 million pounds.
