Manchester United travelled to the Etihad to take on Manchester City and the game had a lot of pride at stake for the away side. City needed a win to lift the title against their archrivals and were well on their way to their third league title in seven years after a 2-0 lead during halftime. However, United suddenly realized during the interval that it was a football game and they had a few stars themselves.
In a remarkable period of around 98 seconds, Paul Pogba scored twice to cancel out Vincent Kompany and Ilkay Gundogan’s first-half goals. United complete the come from behind win with a goal from Chris Smalling in the 69th minute.
City threw Kevin De Bruyne, Gabriel Jesus and Sergio Aguero in the second half but United held firm and eked out a memorable win. Here are the talking points from the game…
#3 Paul Pogba shows what he is capable of
A few months ago, Pogba was doing exactly what he was expected to. Then, a red card against Arsenal followed and from there, his season just didn’t click on. There were games where he looked extremely laboured. He was given the task to mark players, to track back, and to control a certain part of the pitch. Pogba isn’t that sort of a player, is he?
The pattern was the same during the first half against Manchester City as United were woeful and were chasing shadows. The second half was a completely different story with Pogba at the heart of it all.
The Frenchman’s runs were hard to stop as City took the foot off the gas. Pogba was a menace in the attacking third and got into good goalscoring positions. In a way, it couldn’t have gotten any worse for City, so they threw the kitchens sink and were rewarded.
Pogba is at his best when he plays the more dynamic role like he did in the second half. Putting in a shift, for sure yes. But doing that throughout the 90 minutes and shackling his ability? No.
#2 Raheem Sterling left his shooting boots at home
The lad could have had a hat-trick. He also managed to block Otamendi’s header which was goal-bound. The former Liverpool man got into some really good positions but his finishing was horrendous. It’s a bit strange because every time he was one vs one, he managed to sky it, showing youngsters just how not to strike a ball.
The England international has had a bit of a tough week after failing to make the starting XI against Liverpool. Pep Guardiola is a bit of a perfectionist and of course, he won’t be impressed. However, he did get into some good positions, something City failed to manage against Liverpool and that’s the only positive.
#1 Defensive problems aplenty for Guardiola
It doesn’t matter how well you can pass the ball around or keep possession. If you defend like City did earlier, there will always be doubts about the team’s calibre of winning the Champions League. In the span of two games, City have conceded six goals. They’ll take on Liverpool at the Etihad knowing well that the Red have scored the most number of goals this season.
Liverpool have beaten City twice this season and, in both games, they showed that City’s defenders lack composure if they are pressed. Otamendi has done well this season, but teams have done the exact opposite of what they should be doing; allowed him to play a pass by dropping off rather than pressing him.
Vincent Kompany, on the other hand, has lost a yard of pace and hasn’t been able to read the game well enough. When it comes to the fullbacks, the left-back area has been a problem ever since Benjamin Mendy was injured.
Unless the team can be more solid, expect Liverpool to progress to the semifinals of the Champions League this midweek.