City win chaotic derby

MANCHESTER. — It was always going to take something wonderful to beat David de Gea. In Sergio Aguero, however, Manchester City have just that.

There were 63 minutes gone when Aguero scored what proved to be the derby winner.

Nerves were beginning to creep in. Manchester United had been down to ten men from the 39th minute, when Chris Smalling was sent off for two certifiable offences and Marcos Rojo had been carried off on a stretcher after putting his shoulder out in a tackle.

United’s back four at the time was Antonio Valencia, Michael Carrick, Paddy McNair and Luke Shaw. They were there for the taking. Yet City did not take.

True, there were not being helped by referee Michael Oliver who had denied them a third decent penalty shout, Aguero appearing to be fouled twice on this occasion. But for all their possession, City could not breakthrough. De Gea was outstanding. He kept his team in the game in the first-half. Still superstitious around these parts it was shaping up as one of those days.

Aguero changed that, with a moment of sheer brilliance. It was a lightning sequence of passes and movement. Yaya Toure out to Gael Clichy, the left back – only playing because Aleksandar Kolarov got injured in the warm-up – hitting a lovely cut-back cross and Aguero finishing, first time, the ball past De Gea almost before he had time to react. A magnificent moment.

It was 1970 when Manchester City last won four league derby matches on the trot, but United will be taking the positives, too. They could have gone down by plenty, but instead had City fans pleading for the final whistle. What is it about this team when they get comfortable? Jesus Navas hit the post after 75 minutes and City seemed to presume they would coast to victory against ten men, maybe even bag another.

Instead it was United who finished stronger. Marouane Fellaini missing an excellent headed chance and Angel di Maria forcing a rare save from Joe Hart. It should have been easy. It wasn’t – but, boy, did Manchester City need this.

When it comes to red cards, much can be gleaned by the reaction of team-mates and coaches. It is fair to say Smalling must have felt pretty chastened as he sat in the away dressing-room, the derby going on without him just 39 minutes in.

His captain, Wayne Rooney, got on with the business of rearranging the team for his absence as Smalling walked past towards the tunnel. Louis van Gaal did not give him so much as a consoling glance; nor Ryan Giggs. Even the most one-eyed red Mancunian must have felt his loyalty tested, so idiotic were the actions that contributed to Smalling’s dismissal.

Manchester United had won a free-kick which Joe Hart collected under some pressure. He gathered his composure and chased to the edge of the area, where Smalling stood, blocking his path like a point guard, jostling, hustling as he tried to kick. Completely illegal, of course, and always met with a booking. Hart struck the ball, which caught Smalling as intended, and trundled along the pitch in the manner of a topped tee shot. Referee Michael Oliver booked Smalling, almost by instinct.

Hart then chased after the official to complain, for reasons best known to himself considering action had been taken. Pictures circulating on social media showed Hart leaning in, almost as if pushing his head into the official. The juxtaposition is deceptive. There was no physical contact, no intimidation. Hart didn’t get away with it as some suggest. He was simply told to resume his position and get on with the game. Fair enough.

So that was booking one – as foolish and unnecessary as we will see this season. His second yellow wasn’t as bad – but considering the circumstance was still deeply unimpressive from a player worthy of representing Manchester United and England. James Milner went past Smalling on the left, and he reacted with a late, clumsy and poorly-timed tackle, destined to do no more than bring him down. When it did, he gave Oliver no option but to send him off.

There can be no moans. United were not in the least hard done by. If anything, Oliver was hard on City, denying them two decent penalty appeals before half-time. The first came as United attempted to reorganise with Smalling gone, Fellaini temporarily enrolled in his place, until Carrick came on as a substitute.

Fellaini challenged Aguero from behind, not viciously, but almost certainly without due care and attention, making enough contact to send the Argentinian sprawling. Oliver waved the offence away, and Fellaini felt sufficiently empowered to offer some harsh words as Aguero lay on the floor. It was a cover-up, though: City definitely had a case.

Even more so in the final play of the half which saw Rojo take out Yaya Toure with only De Gea to beat. The only excuse can be that Oliver was unsighted. If he didn’t see that as a foul questions must be asked about his critical faculties.

So in went United, to regroup, having rode their luck. De Gea was the best player of the first-half, his only error an unconvincing swipe at a Milner free-kick. That aside, he was outstanding. Brave, big, athletic – everything Sir Alex Ferguson hoped he would be when he arrived; everything he wasn’t back then. As early as the eighth minute, he was required to stand up to an Aguero shot – but in the space of 90 seconds he made two saves that kept United in the match.

The first came after a quite stunning move that involved Toure, Pablo Zabaleta, Aguero and finally Jesus Navas whose shot was matched by De Gea, brilliantly. — Dailymail.