Man Utd 2-1 Man City: Big game Marcus Rashford continues golden run to secure comeback
Manchester City dropped more points in the Premier League title race as they were beaten 2-1 by rivals Manchester United.
After a drab first half, Jack Grealish gave Man City the lead and they looked on course for a vital three points in their hunt of Arsenal. But two goals in quick succession from Bruno Fernandes and Marcus Rashford completed the turnaround for Man Utd.
It also lifted Man Utd to within just a point of Man City and how six being leaders Arsenal, albeit having played a game more.
Here’s how the players rated at Old Trafford:
Manchester United team name
David de Gea – 6 – Could have sat in with the fans behind the goal such was Man City’s lack of threat – scoring with their only real chance.
Tyrell Malacia – 8 – Worked really well with Shaw to help keep Mahrez quiet, silencing those that may have doubted him pre-match.
Luke Shaw – 8 – Definitely wasted at centre-back, as Man Utd miss him going forward, but you can see why Erik ten Hag trusts him alongside Varane as he helped shut down Man City’s star-studded ahead.
Raphael Varane – 8 – An absolute rock at the back. Man Utd’s defence is completely different with him in it, and Haaland will not have many more quiet matches.
Aaron Wan-Bissaka – 7 – Really good in the first half, completing nullifying Foden. Struggled slightly once Grealish came on but eventually found his footing again, ending strongly.
Christian Eriksen – 4 – Was meant the be the attacking man of the midfield trio but apart from one pass to Rashford in the first half he really didn’t have much impact on the match.
Casemiro – 8 – It was just another standard Casemiro performance, which means he was dominating the midfield once again. You can see how much his presence lifts his teammates.
Fred – 9 – Wonderful. Probably Man Utd’s best player of the afternoon, regardless of who got the official Player of the Match award. Was everywhere in defence and attack, breaking things up and getting Man Utd moving forward. Looks a completely different player to the one that had been frustrating Man Utd fans.
Bruno Fernandes – 7 – Scored Man Utd’s equaliser and played a part in the winner but up until that moment he had really been missing from the attack, when the Red Devils needed him. But that won’t matter, or be remembered by many, because of the impact he did finally have.
Marcus Rashford – 8 – Had a couple of chances in the first half that he could have potentially done better with, and looked to be on his way off due to an injury. But he stayed on and eventually got the winner, finishing smartly from close range — having also played a part, but not played a part, in the equaliser which will cause some controversy. Rashford’s goal continued his excellent run, now scoring in seven consecutive games across all competitions. He’s also scored 5+ goals against three of the five other Big Six sides, adding Man City to Chelsea and Liverpool.
◉ Scored in nine straight games at Old Trafford
◉ Scored in all seven of his games since returning from the World Cup
Marcus Rashford is on FIRE. 🔥 pic.twitter.com/hIlVUBqrKm
— Play Squawka Selector for Free (@Squawka_Live) January 14, 2023
Anthony Martial – 5 – Had a very quiet first half, not really getting involved, with just 14 touches. But he was clearly still feeling the effects of his midweek injury issue, eventually taken off at half-time.
Substitutes:
Antony (for Martial 45′) – 6 – Was better than the man he replaced but his impact didn’t seem to last the full second half.
Alejandro Garnacho (for Eriksen 72′) – 7 – Good work for the assist and will hope his impact will persuade Ten Hag to give him more opportunities.
Harry Maguire (for Rashford 90′) – N/A – A late sub.
Scott McTominay (for Casemiro 90′) – N/A – A late sub.
Lisandro Martinez (for Malacia 90′) – N/A – A late sub.
Manchester City team name
Ederson – 5 – Gifted Rashford a big opportunity in the first half when he went for a wander but was saved by his defence. Well beaten by the two finishes.
Joao Cancelo – 6 – Started well defensively but was missing something in attack, guilty of overplaying on a few occasions. It’s not been a good few weeks for the Portuguese full-back.
Nathan Ake – 5 – Was the man beaten by Garnacho for the winner and overall struggled as part of a defence which unravelled in such a short space of time.
Manuel Akanji – 5 – Stopped Rashford’s chance when Ederson was beaten but he was unaware of the Englishman when he made his run towards the six-yard box for the winner. We may not see this centre-back pairing if Guardiola has another option.
Kyle Walker – 3 – One of the worst matches Walker has had in recent memory, with signs of his age finally catching up with him. He’ll definitely have better days and is still a good defender, but this was an off day.
Bernardo Silva – 3 – Lazy pass led to an early Fernandes opportunity which fortunately for him was not put away. But other than that he was anonymous, yet somehow stayed on the pitch for the full 90 minutes.
Rodri – 7 – One of a few Man City players that can leave the game with some pride, putting in another solid performance. His place in midfield helped keep the team calm in the first half and in control after going 1-0 up, before everything else imploded.
Kevin De Bruyne – 6 – Really quiet first half, lovely dink to Grealish for the opening goal but he was still missing something.
Only three players have provided 10+ assists in Europe's top five leagues this season:
◉ Lionel Messi
◉ Neymar
◉ Kevin De Bruyne 🆕The PSG pair have some company. 🤝 pic.twitter.com/ygjFMkCTlG
— Squawka (@Squawka) January 14, 2023
Phil Foden – 4 – You would’ve been forgiven for forgetting that Foden was on the pitch, with just 14 touches and a lack of attacking threat. The first to go off when Guardiola wanted more from his attack.
Erling Haaland – 5 – Haaland had just 19 touches in 90 minutes but fans have been getting used to him being on the periphery yet still making a difference. The problem here was he was getting absolutely no service from his teammates. A quiet game but it wasn’t really his fault.
Riyad Mahrez – 3 – Man City worked their attacks down his flank, but he really struggled throughout. A surprise to some considering the form he was in, which had led to him being in the starting XI in the first place.
Substitutes:
Jack Grealish (for Foden 57′) – 6 – Risked the wrath of Haaland by jumping in front of him for a chance, but his header was well-placed to put Man City 1-0 up just three minutes after coming on. Was pretty quiet after that.
