Manchester United got The most dramatic of the 2-1 victories Against rival Manchester City on Sunday.
After falling behind to Jusco Gvardiol's first-half header, United looked on the verge of tasting defeat before City collapsed in stunning fashion once again. Bruno Fernandes scored from the penalty spot five minutes from time, moments before Amad Diallo scored the winner to hand Pep Guardiola's side an eighth defeat in their last 11 matches.
How the game unfolded
Manchester City began to dominate possession early on but United pressed well and frustrated their hosts, although their goal was blocked in the 14th minute when Mason Mount fell to the turf and eventually limped off injured.
It took 21 minutes for the first shot to arrive. Phil Foden collected the ball on the edge of the penalty area and fired a shot wide of Andre Onana's post. The Englishman saw another effort deflected wide soon after and Ruben Dias headed home from the next corner.
Amad was saved from blushing when the offside scene saw everyone quickly turn away from the fact that he had just one-on-one Ederson wide on United's first unofficial chance.
Ten minutes before the end of the first half, City took the lead. A cross ball entered the penalty area that changed direction, and Gvardiol met it perfectly, heading it into the net to put City ahead in the second half.
There was more life for United in the second half, and Ederson was finally involved in the proceedings as he blocked a shot from Amad, whose shot was wide and left United still searching for their first shot on target.
Fernandes should have equalized with 17 minutes remaining when Hoglund played in at the back, but the skipper's chipped shot rebounded wide of the post.
Kobe Maino headed home as United went in search of an equalizer in the final 10 minutes, but with five minutes to go they were rewarded with a penalty when a poor back pass from Matthews Nunes sent Amand into the net. His desperate retreat eventually led to Nunes colliding with the United winger and conceding a penalty. Stepped up Fernandes who did nothing wrong.
City's collapse settled almost immediately afterwards when Amad managed to thread the ball around a helpless Ederson and send a shot streaming over the goal line into the dying embers to seal a stunning three points.
The biggest talking point of the afternoon came even before the match started with the revelation that Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho had been left out of the matchday squad.
Amorim confirmed before kick-off That his decision was made based on “everything” and not any injury concerns. The new president may be unaccustomed to his new surroundings, but he would be under no illusions about the response such a choice might generate.
It remains to be seen how this will affect things behind the scenes, but on the pitch, there is no denying it united They were left short in attack for the most part, with Anthony the only striker on the bench. Amorim hopes the exclusion of Rashford and Garnacho will bring about significant long-term change – one way or another.
City returned to the famous 3-2-4-1 formation they introduced last season in search of some defensive solidarity. For about 85 minutes, the results were largely positive.
Unfortunately, as seems to be the case with City these days, one lapse in concentration proved disastrous. Nunes, who played as an assistant left-back, not only played the poor back pass that led to the equaliser, but somehow managed to concede a penalty as well.
With the pressure mounting, City let things get worse again when Amad chased a losing cause and somehow managed to get past Ederson and slot home. Guardiola simply cannot catch a break.
Sure, there was some good fortune regarding City's opening goal – Kevin De Bruyne's cross was clearly deflected off Amad – but United simply cannot escape the fact that they were once again beaten by a corner routine.
The deflection may have missed the feet of Diogo Dalot and Rasmus Hoglund, neither of whom were in the right place when the ball arrived, but at least one of them should have been able to provide some form of challenge to Gvardiol, who rose unchallenged and headed home with ease. .
Amorim attempted to implement a form of defending from set-pieces with Hoglund spending most of his time trying to slow dance with Erling Haaland, but there is clearly more work to do.
United were far from their best here but you can see it Something In it, especially after Amorim had the opportunity to enter his players at halftime.
The Red Devils looked for a fight in the second half, and while they needed some good luck to get back into the game, it's hard to say they didn't deserve it. United never gave up and ran until the final whistle, and the equalizer was deserved.
While City were floundering, United were smelling blood and then surging forward for the win, and it was Amad who rewarded Iman Amorim once again with one of the most important goals of the entire season.
Amorim's arrival had an excellent impact on Mason Mount, who seemed to have benefited from the new president's comprehensive approach to proceedings. Unfortunately, his momentum was halted once again due to injury.
With Rashford and Garnacho not in the squad, it was Bruno Fernandes who was pushed forward on the team sheet, with Kobe Maino entering the fray and partnering Manuel Ugarte in the deeper role.
This will only put more focus on Rashford and Garnacho's futures with this team, with United lacking in attacking areas if Mount faces any prolonged spell on the sidelines.
