Manchester United's two goals came in the final 12 minutes as Erik ten Haag's side moved to within a point of their local rivals, dealing a devastating blow to City's hopes of retaining the title. Pep Guardiola's men looked to be cruising to victory when Jack Grealish came off the bench to fire the visitors into the lead. But Bruno Fernandes' controversial equalizer turned the game around and Rashford netted for the ninth time in a row at Old Trafford four minutes later. City can drop eight points off the table if Arsenal beat Tottenham in Sunday's north London derby. It was sweet revenge for United after being thrashed 6-3 when the two sides met in October. Anthony Martial's two goals lifted the scoreline for United at the Etihad. However, after a stunning turnaround in the Dutch coach's first season in charge, Ten Hague's men have lost just once in 19 games. Casemiro's introduction has changed United's midfield since the last Manchester derby, and ten Haag's decision to play Fred alongside fellow Brazilian international has cut City's supply line to Erling Haaland. United's turnaround is reflected in Rashford's resurgence. The England star has now scored 16 times this season. Rashford was the biggest threat either side posed in the first half. Another Rashford burst and he took it beyond Rodrigo, but the finish fell short as Ederson sped off his line. United's new loan signing Vout Wegorst was watching from the stands and Martial's poor performance before being replaced by Anthony at half-time underlined Ten Haag's need for more forward options.
The assistant referee initially flagged for offside and City were delighted with the decision to let the goal stand.
In contrast, City are blessed with an abundance of talent in the final third and Guardiola's ability to make game-changing substitutions seems to have swung the game in their favour. Grealish was on the pitch three minutes before scoring the biggest goal of his City career, nodding in Kevin De Bruyne's cross on the hour. But City have struggled this season to match the consistency that has won them four Premier League titles in the past five years. Rashford was offside when he pounced on Casemiro's pass, but crucially left the ball untouched for Fernandes to sweep. City were still reeling when they conceded again when Alejandro Garnacho burst down the left and slotted home from close range for Rashford. There was still time for City to get even more angry with referee Stuart Atwell when he saw Haaland turn down a penalty appeal. But the champions now have a huge job to do if they are to maintain their dominance of English football under Guardiola. Manchester City's Jack Grealish was involved in a heated 'discussion' with Pep Guardiola and Harry Maguire in the tunnel after Man United's 2-1 win in the derby, reports Jan Åge Fjordoft.
After Bruno Fernandes scored a controversial opener, some argued that Marcus Rashford may have interfered with the game as he was in an offside position.
Manuel Akanji complained to the referee in a heated exchange between Kyle Walker and Grealish after the game as they questioned why he was not asked to check the monitor after such a controversial goal. We know there is a lot of history around this derby,' he said. 'After losing 6-3, you have to understand that Manchester United will be very happy to turn this game around.' Like many spectators, Fjordoft was unsure about the validity of Fernandez's goal, adding: 'The first goal was controversial, I thought it was offside, but the linesman said otherwise.' City defender Akanji said the goal should not have stood, and he told the former Norway striker after the match: 'Rashford was chasing the ball 30 meters in an offside position. I think he was two or three meters ahead of me. 'I claim offside because I see him in position and he's clearly chasing the ball until the last second. To me, this is a clear intervention. Akanji took aim at the officials in the game and questioned how well he handled the atmosphere at Old Trafford, adding: 'The ref didn't say anything to me. I spoke to the linesman and he said 'Did Rashford touch the ball?' I said 'No, but he follows it for a long time and he tries to play it until the last minute.'
'For me the referee should have looked at it in that situation but it wasn't what they were saying and maybe the pressure got to him too and that's why he decided to leave it.' For United, the win moves them to within six points of Arsenal ahead of Sunday's north London derby, where Old Trafford could be talking about a title challenge for a couple of years. Erling Haaland was shackled by United, Luke Shaw opted to play at centre-back and Varane was simply excellent. The former Real Madrid star helped United stay solid in defense despite conceding the team's first home goal in the Premier League since September. Varane has been in excellent form at Real Madrid this season. Against City he completed 25 of 28 passes, made five defensive clearances and blocked one shot. After the game, Varane posted a message on Instagram, declaring 'Manchester red', and team-mates Casemiro and Bruno Fernandes responded. France team-mate Benjamin Pavard also responded with two 'fire emojis' to praise Varane's display.
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