Premier League: Manchester United 1-2 Manchester City
The entire Europe was watching this game and the showdown was as good as advertised. The best two teams in England this season faced in the derby of Manchester but the visitors took the best of the home team to set a single record in the top-flight with 14 consecutive wins. Man City is currently tied with Arsenal who achieved this feast on the span of two season. So another win on Wednesday will hand out the all-time record in England.
The game was great and drama-filled until the last minutes. The Red Devils had the opportunity to tie the game through Lukaku and Bernardo Silva had the chance to seal the win. Rhythm was intense in a cold and snowy Manchester afternoon. With the win the Citizens extended their lead on top and it would be a miracle for any team to catch them now.
Football is complicated, it’s not easy. We came back in the second half, Fernandinho went to centre-back and Gundogan to holding midfield and we controlled the situation. We are an honest team, we had 80% average ball possession and that shows that we are here to play, and I am so satisfied with that. It means a lot in the way we played in terms of our confidence. We won points on Chelsea, Arsenal and now Manchester United, but in December, it’s impossible to be champions.
Man Utd coach Mourinho laments the penalty not given when down 2-1:
“Clear penalty. I’m sorry for us, I’m sorry for Michael [Oliver, the referee]; I think he had a good performance but it’s a clear penalty. The referee made a mistake, which can happen. Last season we had a similar situation here against Man City – City were winning 2-1 and [the referee] Mr [Mark] Clattenburg didn’t see the penalty, [Claudio] Bravo on [Wayne] Rooney, and this one also. It’s a clear penalty and I feel sorry for Mr Oliver because he had a good performance. He’s a human being and tried his best; he was very committed to having a good match, which I think he had. He made one mistake, which was a crucial mistake for the result of the match. You can speak about anything you want. You can bring any football theory, you can bring the stats, the ball possession, you can bring everything you want, but like last season it is a huge penalty in the crucual moment of the game. But I also have to say I feel sorry for Michael Oliver because he had a good game, a very good game. The assistants the same. I think [Jon] Moss [the fourth official] came with the intention to make the perfect work which they almost did.
We did good things, we did bad things – we had a complete dedication to the match, with everybody trying to do their best. We know City are very good at keeping the ball possession, at keeping one of the full-backs inside. In this match they also had an extra man with the striker dropping back and then without the striker, having an extra man in midfield. Even if you try to press, it’s very difficult to recover the ball, so credit to them for that good quality they have.
I’m sure that everyone is going to fight for points and fight to reduce the distance, which is a normal thing in the fight for the championship. But of course, City’s [11-point] advantage is a very good one. It is a significant distance. I don’t know [if we can make up the points difference]. I know we can win on Wednesday [against Bournemouth]. Win, lose or draw, I know we can win on Wednesday and we are going to work and fight for it. That’s the only thing I say, match after match. And every match is a match where we are going to give everything with our qualities, with our problems – that is what we do all the time.”
