Manchester United and Manchester City played out a dull goalless stalemate in the 196th Manchester derby in the Premier League on Sunday afternoon.
Old Trafford staged a closely-contested contest between two struggling top-flight teams who have performed well below the standards expected this season and who were unable to deliver much excitement across a disappointing 90 minutes on the red side of Manchester.
After announcing his decision to leave Man City at the end of the season, club legend Kevin De Bruyne began his farewell tour behind enemy lines, and the Citizens’ finest artist was hoping to paint pictures in his 22nd and final derby for all those in sky-blue cheering him on.
However, Pep Guardiola’s side found it difficult to break down Man United’s deep and compact back five; local lad Phil Foden fluffed one of their better opportunities early in the second half while Andre Onana had to be alert to keep out a couple of well-struck shots from Omar Marmoush.
Man United posed the greater attacking threat throughout the match, with captain Bruno Fernandes at the heart of creating their opportunities, and they caught City out at times on the counter-attack, but – not for the first time – Ruben Amorim’s side lacked a cutting edge in the final third.
A point apiece means Champions League hopefuls Man City remain fifth in the table, one point behind Chelsea in fourth and one point above Aston Villa in sixth, while Man United remain 13th and seven points behind the top half.
