FIVE THINGS I LEARNED FROM THE DERBY AT OLD
TRAFFORD
By Jay
Manchester City won a crucial derby at Old Trafford to
give themselves a mountainous 11-point advantage at
the top of the Premier League. David Silva handed the visitors the lead but United
drew level at the break through Marcus Rashford.
However, Nicolas Otamendi made up for a mistake in
the build-up to the equaliser by pouncing to fire home
the winner, and strike a crucial blow in the title race.
Here are five things Jay learned from the derby. 
1. We might be watching the Premier League's
greatest.
When is it appropriate to stop caveating our
assessment of this City team with 'It's still early days?'
Because it is December and they have drawn only one game, beating every other team in their way. It is not
just that they have amassed 46 points; they have
demolished some opponents, found spirited late
winners against others, and on Sunday they were
deserving winners against their closest challengers
and biggest rivals away from home. The question now seems not whether they will win the league but
exactly how. Will they surpass Chelsea's 95 points
under Mourinho in 2004/05? Could they be the New
Invincibles? What we can be sure of is that their style
of football will remain wonderful to watch, and it is
perhaps the best ever seen on these shores. Forget the other records – that might satisfy Guardiola most
of all.
2. Lukaku can’t find a way out of his slump
This was an afternoon for Romelu Lukaku to forget. He
failed to clear in the lead up to both of City’s goals –
the second a particularly messy swipe with his right foot – suggesting that he is not the reliable defensive
barrier Didier Drogba once was for Mourinho at set
pieces. More worryingly for United should be his lack
of productivity in attack. He had little to feed on but
when he did get on the ball the Belgian struggled to
keep it or use it productively. His best chance came with less than 10 minutes to go when Ederson saved
astonishingly with his face. Having scored 16 goals in
his first 13 matches, he has only two in the 14 since.
3. Silva is in the form of his life
There are plenty of players shining under Pep
Guardiola right now and none more so that his midfield maestro David Silva. At 31 the midfielder
seems to be have found an even higher level: he has
been involved in more open-play moves which end in
scoring chances than any player in the Premier
League this season. At Old Trafford he poached one
goal and had a hand in the second, but it was his nerveless temperament on the ball which stood out,
even playing some of the second half as a kind of
keep-ball nuisance in attack who United couldn’t
pickpocket.
4. City’s defensive frailties show
Guardiola was brought to the Etihad to win trophies and play entertaining football, and he is on course to
tick both boxes in the Premier League. But the trophy
that will define his tenure is the Champions League –
the missing jewel to complete this lavish new era’s
set. United’s equaliser at Old Trafford revealed a
familiar frailty that will be exploited by the best teams in Europe when it comes to the decisive moments
later in the season, with Nicolas Otamendi inexplicably
misreading a routine cross. Guardiola must find a cure
for what seems to be their only ailment if they are to
step up from English conquerors to kings of Europe.
5. Lingard is fast becoming Mourinho’s loyal lieutenant
Sir Alex Ferguson often deployed a player in midfield
who would display an endless work ethic most useful
in those transitional moments when defence suddenly
becomes attack – Ji Sung Park was particularly
effective – and in Jesse Lingard, Mourinho has a similar type of player. After a steady period ofsession early in the second half, the midfielder
made a typically inventive run across the lines to
collect an Ashley Young pass and in a flash United
were 40 yards further up the pitch. It is that energy
and intelligence which has made him a compulsory name on the teamsheet in recent times and he is
enjoying a well-earned run in the team.