Manchester United and Manchester City played out a dismal derby stalemate behind closed doors at Old Trafford.
In a game devoid of quality and excitement, neither side were able to carve out the opportunity that could make a difference amid the eerie silence of the so-called ‘Theatre Of Dreams’.
Gabriel Jesus was off target and Riyad Mahrez brought a routine save from David de Gea with City’s best first-half chances while Scott McTominay was agonisingly inches away from Victor Lindelof’s flick as United sought the breakthrough.
United thought they had a second-half penalty when Kyle Walker fouled Marcus Rashford but the decision was overturned as VAR revealed the United striker was offside.
It led to an unsatisfactory conclusion for both sides, leaving United seventh in the Premier League and City a place below them.
Will Solskjaer be satisfied?
Manchester United needed some sort of response after the despair and disappointment of their Champions League exit following the loss against RB Leipzig – defeat was not an option.
And that goal, at least, was achieved but it was achieved at the end of a real eyesore of a game and was pretty much a flimsy straw that under-pressure boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and United could clutch at.
Paul Pogba was restored to the starting line-up to little or no effect but it would be unfair to single out the midfielder who seems permanently unsettled at Old Trafford, at least according to agent Mino Raiola, because barely anyone had a positive impact on a shocking spectacle.
De Gea was under the microscope after another expensive error in Germany but he, like City counterpart Ederson, had a quiet night.
He completed two straightforward saves from Mahrez’s first-half effort and Rodri’s injury-time shot but other than that was largely unemployed.
It was that sort of game – although once more United’s £40m summer signing from Ajax Donny van de Beek was left to watch on from the bench perhaps wondering what he has to do to get a start.
More to follow.
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Manchester United
- Squad number9Player nameMartial
Manchester City
- Squad number21Player nameTorres
Line-ups
Man Utd
- 1de Gea
- 29Wan-Bissaka
- 2Lindelöf
- 5MaguireBooked at 79mins
- 23Shaw
- 17Fred
- 39McTominay
- 6Pogba
- 18Bruno Fernandes
- 10Rashford
- 11GreenwoodSubstituted forMartialat 74′minutes
Substitutes
- 3Bailly
- 8Mata
- 9Martial
- 26Henderson
- 27Telles
- 31Matic
- 34van de Beek
Man City
- 31Ederson
- 2Walker
- 5Stones
- 3Rúben Dias
- 27Cancelo
- 16Rodri
- 25FernandinhoBooked at 87mins
- 26MahrezSubstituted forTorresat 66′minutes
- 17De Bruyne
- 7Sterling
- 9Gabriel Jesus
Substitutes
- 8Gündogan
- 13Steffen
- 14Laporte
- 20Bernardo Silva
- 21Torres
- 22Mendy
- 47Foden
Live Text
Match ends, Manchester United 0, Manchester City 0.
Second Half ends, Manchester United 0, Manchester City 0.
Offside, Manchester City. João Cancelo tries a through ball, but Gabriel Jesus is caught offside.
Attempt saved. Rodrigo (Manchester City) left footed shot from the right side of the box is saved in the bottom left corner. Assisted by Kyle Walker.
Attempt missed. Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United) left footed shot from outside the box misses to the left. Assisted by Fred.
Attempt saved. Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the centre of the goal. Assisted by Anthony Martial.
Fernandinho (Manchester City) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Foul by Fernandinho (Manchester City).
Anthony Martial (Manchester United) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Ferran Torres (Manchester City) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Foul by Luke Shaw (Manchester United).
Offside, Manchester City. João Cancelo tries a through ball, but Raheem Sterling is caught offside.
Hand ball by Anthony Martial (Manchester United).
Corner, Manchester City. Conceded by Luke Shaw.
Attempt blocked. Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked.
Harry Maguire (Manchester United) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Gabriel Jesus (Manchester City) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Harry Maguire (Manchester United).
Substitution, Manchester United. Anthony Martial replaces Mason Greenwood.
Corner, Manchester City. Conceded by Aaron Wan-Bissaka.
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