Phil Foden was sent off after twenty three minutes at Old Trafford. Manchester City played the remaining sixty seven with ten men, had six shots all afternoon, and won.
The sending off
Foden went for violent conduct on 23. Bruno Fernandes appeared to kick out at him first, Foden reacted, and only Foden was shown a card. City lost their most creative player for two thirds of a derby they were already not dominating.
The one change came at the interval, Iliman Ndiaye for Rayan Cherki, and it was about holding a shape rather than restoring an attack.
Haaland, and a VAR review
Erling Haaland scored on 60, left footed from the right side of the six yard box into the high centre of the goal. The goal was awarded after a VAR review.
It was one of two shots he had all match, and one of six City had in total. Ten men, six shots, one goal, three points.
United had the ball, the shots and nothing else
Manchester United finished with 54.7 per cent possession, 472 passes, sixteen shots and twenty six crosses. Three of the sixteen were on target and six of the crosses found a teammate.
Matheus Cunha had three shots, Marcus Rashford three, Bryan Mbeumo three. One of those nine attempts was on target. Gianluigi Donnarumma made three saves in the whole game, and at the other end Senne Lammens made one.
That is what sixty seven minutes against ten men produced: a team with more of everything except the goal, and a goalkeeper who barely had to work.
What City did instead
Fifty six long balls, twenty eight of them accurate, against United's twenty three. Twenty five clearances to fourteen. Two bookings in the last eleven minutes, Josko Gvardiol on 79 and Enzo Fernández on 80, with Nico O'Reilly on for Fernández two minutes later.
It was not football City would want to watch back. It was also the most straightforward way to defend a one goal lead with a man missing, and United never looked like breaking it.
The scoreline flatters nobody
Seventeen fouls for United, one save for their goalkeeper, and a home derby lost to ten men. City have won all four league matches and have not conceded in the last two. United have four points from four.
