Last-ditch Diallo gives Man United derby win over City

Manchester United came from behind to beat crosstown rivals Manchester City 2-1 in the English Premier League on Sunday afternoon at the Etihad Stadium.

Still struggling with set-pieces, the Red Devils fell behind in the 38th minute when Croatian defender Josko Gvardiol towered above everyone else to head in Kevin De Bruyne’s short corner drill.

On course to secure a crucial win in the derby, everything changed in the closing stages of the encounter when Portuguese defender Matheus Nunes brought down Amad Diallo inside the box.

Stepping up from 12 yards, United captain Bruno Fernandes sent City goalkeeper Ederson Moraes the wrong way in the 88th minute for the equaliser.

Two minutes later, the home fans were left stunned after Ederson and the City defence failed to deal with a long ball from deep in midfield, allowing Diallo to latch onto it and slot the winner.

The result justified Ruben Amorim’s decision to leave out star forwards Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho from the matchday squad, for what the Portuguese manager termed as “selection reasons”.

This was the second time that Amorim has beaten Pep Guardiola in over a month, having previously done so as Sporting Lisbon manager in Matchday 4 of the Champions League.

After the game, the United boss was full of praise for his side’s performance.

“We have a lot to do but it was massive for our fans,” Amorim said.

“Our conversation would be so different without the two goals but the performance would be the same.

“I think the players did a very good job. They were in the game for 90 minutes and that is really important. I think we deserved this win. It was a good day for us.

“When we scored the first one, you could feel it. They wanted it more. Congratulations to the players. We needed it a lot.”

The emphatic victory elevates the Red Devils to 13th on the EPL table with 22 points, while Manchester City remain fifth on the standings with 27 points — nine behind leaders Liverpool, who have a game in hand.

Speaking after the defeat, Guardiola pledged to turn City’s fortunes around.

“It is something we are missing,” the Spaniard said.

“When you win games, the energy is higher. This is my job. My job is not just to win games and lift trophies.

“I am incredibly well paid to handle these situations. Maybe in one year or a year and a half we were able to lose eight games – now in one month and 10 days we have lost eight games out of 11.”

Manchester City will be hoping to bounce back next Saturday, with top EPL bookmakers paying +115 for the defending champions to defeat Aston Villa (+225).

Meanwhile, United are -108.7 favourites with BetOnline for their clash with Bournemouth (+279) on Sunday.

Sports news