Man Utd and Man City’s new realities clear after woeful bore draw – 5 talking points

MAN UTD 0-0 MAN CITY: The Red Devils had the chance to do the double over their neighbours for the first time in five years but missed the opportunity after a less than inspiring affair

Manchester United and Manchester City stumbled to an insipid goalless draw in the latest Manchester derby at Old Trafford. In a 90 minute encapsulation of both teams’ seasons, the cross-city rivals struggled to create in a drab affair which failed to stir any atmosphere from a barely awake capacity crowd.

Both sides struggled to create any real chances of note in a game that was less than inspiring. A few half penalty appeals came and went for both City and United but the referee was unmoved.

If anything, it was a game that perfectly displayed to both managers how far their current teams are from their former glories. Away from the lack of match action, the clash at Old Trafford also saw Kevin De Bruyne make his final appearance in the Manchester Derby ahead of his exit this summer.

Here are all of the talking points from Old Trafford:

READ MORE: Gary Neville moans ‘this has got to stop’ live on Sky Sports during Man Utd vs Man CityREAD MORE: Bruno Fernandes snaps at THREE Man Utd team-mates during Man City clash as Gary Neville weighs in

Slow start

But for a few bright moments, the latest iteration of the Manchester derby was a game to forget – for the first 45 minutes at least. Both sides struggled to get any momentum together, with clear-cut chances at a premium.

And former Red Devils star Gary Neville thought he knew the reason why. In a short rant before the break, he suggested that Premier League sides had become so obsessed with systems and not conceding, that players were afraid to try things off the cuff.

Having sat through a frankly boring first-half at Old Trafford, he might have a point.

Who was the man-of-the-match in the Manchester derby? Share your thoughts in the comments below

Garnacho causes two early yellows

The main talking points between the two sides over the first hour or so were two early yellow cards, with Alejandro Garnacho at the heart of both incidents. The Argentine had a great chance early on as he charged towards the box within the opening few seconds only to be hauled down on the edge of the box by Josko Gvardiol.

The Croatian was subsequently booked. And Bernardo Silva had the same fate just moments into the second period as he hauled down Garnacho.

While the United star is still struggling for form, he is clearly still a threat.

De Bruyne’s final derby

After his bombshell announcement earlier this week that he would be leaving the Etihad Stadium at the end of the season, Kevin De Bruyne started and captained City in his final Manchester derby. And having only scored once at Old Trafford previously in his career, the Belgian playmaker struggled to have much of an impact.

To his defence, he was playing in a somewhat unfamiliar position as a central striker. With his City career now into single figures worth of appearances, De Bruyne will certainly be hoping for a more productive farewell.

City slip up in European race

With Guardiola set to lead City to a trophyless season, the only thing they have left to play for is a place in the Champions League next season. And with Nottingham Forest losing and Chelsea drawing this weekend, they had a real chance to throw down a gauntlet.

But yet more dropped points leaves them vulnerable. They sit fifth and a point behind Chelsea with seven matches left to play. With a favourable run of fixtures coming up, they will hope to not drop any more needless points.

United let golden derby chance go

Across the city, United could well be playing in the Champions League next season – but only if they win the Europa League. Their league season has been a severe disappointment.

But heading into this game, they still had the chance to do the double over their neighbours for the first time since the 2019/20 season under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. In honesty, neither side really looked like winning the game and as a result, neither side go away with the Manchester bragging rights.

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