Time for me to go off and come up with a Talking Point about this game. Thanks for your company, correspondence and mild expressions of despair. I’ll be back on Saturday lunchtime, when United try to bounce back at Fulham. Before that, they entertain Newcastle in the Carabao Cup, another game they could easily mess up, while City get a well-earned week off.
In the meantime, do have a look at Jamie Jackson’s match report.
“I can’t see Ten Hag lasting the season out at the moment,” says Kevin Wilson. “Maybe he’d be better off (though not financially!) going back to Ajax and sorting them out, then hoping the next big job isn’t an absolute basket case?”
A declaration of love
Haaland presents Silva with the Player of the Match award, saying he agrees with that decision. He gives him a hug and says, “I love you!”
You didn’t get that in Bobby Charlton’s day.
A good question from Malcolm Shuttleworth in Germany. “How many hairdryers would Fergie need if he was still managing this shower?
Erling Haaland and Bernardo Silva are giving an interview – the Little and Large Show. “It was a good game for us,” says Bernardo, “apart from a few simple balls that we lost. The way we controlled the game, especially the first 30 minutes of the second half, was very good. What we lacked against Arsenal, we were fabulous here.” He sounds like a manager.
The stats are damning for United. On passes in the final third, they lost 215-74. On shots, 21-7. On expected goals, it shouldn’t have been 3-0: it should have been 4-1 – United 1.03, City 3.94. “An outstanding performance,” says Micah Richards. “We’re watching some of the best football the Premier League has ever seen.”
Time for a couple of emails. “Ten Hag should have played Bobby Charlton’s ghost,” says Ray O’Hanlon. “At least we could dream of a 40 yard cannon…”
“My daughter,” says Tom Atkins, has just asked me ‘Why is Man United’s squad a bit weird?’, and I know what she means.”
The upshot is that City are all but level with Arsenal – same number of points (24 from ten games), same goal difference (+15). Arsenal have scored one more (23-22), so they remain second and City are third for now.
United are still eighth, which is where they finished three seasons in a row as the glorious team featuring Best, Charlton and Law faded to grey. The table doesn’t lie: United have lost as many games as they’ve won (five apiece), and the losses have been by wider margins (goal difference -4). They have been worse than all the big six bar Chelsea – and worse than Villa, Newcastle and Brighton to boot.
Pep hugs all his players, one by one. After those wobbles at Molineux and the Emirates, City are themselves again. Erling Haaland scored twice to extend his lead at the top of the goal-scoring pops.
United may have been bright early on and a little unlucky with the penalty, but from half-time onwards they were made to look like amateurs. The margin of victory ends up the same as this time last year, when they lost 6-3.
