Manchester City 0-1 Manchester United: Marcus Rashford strikes to move visitors to within a point of the Premier League top four
- Marcus Rashford fired Manchester United into the lead after jinking past Martin Demichelis with 16 minutes gone
- Rashford became the youngest goalscorer in a Premier League Manchester derby - aged 18 years and 141 days
- Raheem Sterling and Joe Hart were both forced off with injuries to give England boss Roy Hodgson a headache
- United are now just a point behind City, having played the same number of games, in the race for a top four place '
Eighteen years and 141 days. Marcus Rashford is the youngest goalscorer in the history of Manchester derbies – all 171 of them.
What a remarkable debut season this has been for the teenager. On Sunday, his 16th minute intervention – cool as you like – was all that stood between these teams, breathing life into Manchester United's bid to qualify for next season's Champions League. He may even save Louis Van Gaal's job in the process.
A point now separates three teams jostling for fourth place – Manchester City, West Ham and Manchester United. Van Gaal's team are placed third in that mini group but will take tremendous heart from this.
City look increasingly lost domestically. This was another opportunity to beat a leading Premier League team, gone west. They have won a single game against any of the clubs in the current top nine: at home to Southampton. They had some chances here, but United deserved their victory.
Marcus Rashford was cool enough to slot Manchester United in front after 16 minutes of the Manchester derby at the Etihad Stadium
Rashford's impact for United has been brilliant since he broke into the first team last month, and he was celebrating again in the derby
Centre forward Rashford now has five goals in his eight first-team games for United, and is this derby's youngest Premier League scorer
MATCH FACTS, PLAYER RATINGS, LEAGUE TABLE AND MATCH ZONE ANALYSIS
Manchester United (4-2-3-1): Hart (Caballero 50mins); Sagna, Demichelis (Bony 53), Mangala, Clichy; Toure, Fernandinho; Navas, Silva, Sterling (Fernando 26); Aguero.
Unused subs: Zabaleta, Kolarov, Garcia, Iheanacho.
Booked: Mangala.
Goal:
Manager: Manuel Pellegrini.
Manchester United (4-2-3-1): De Gea; Darmian (Fosu-Mensah 84), Smalling, Blind, Rojo (Valencia 62); Carrick, Schneiderlin; Lingard, Mata (Schweinsteiger 70), Martial; Rashford.
Unused subs: Romero, Fellaini, Januzaj, Memphis.
Booked: Smalling.
Goal: Rashford 16.
Manager: Louis van Gaal.
Referee: Michael Oliver.
Marcus Rashford broke through to score the opener after latching on to Juan Mata's pass. See more from our brilliant MATCH ZONE
They had a good penalty call rejected and City's defence were desperately uncomfortable all game. Martin Demichelis, in particular, had as poor a game as many had seen at this level.
At fault for the goal, for injury to goalkeeper Joe Hart and missing a sitter, he may well have been United's man of the match.
Yet Rashford is their man of the moment. He was born on October 31, 1997, and for those that believe in omens – Manchester United were top of the Premier League, while City languished fourth from bottom in tier two. They weren't even Manchester's second team back then – as well as United, Bolton, Bury and Stockport County all occupied superior positions – as, incredibly, did Port Vale and Crewe.
No chance of those times returning, now City are in the money – but this is a worrying result none the less. When Pep Guardiola bought into the City project he probably did not envisage it encompassing Europa League football. He only works three years at his football clubs: he won't be happy if one of them is spent in Champions League exile.
It is Manchester United's pace that has changed since the last time these teams met in October. Anthony Martial started and Jesse Lingard came on with 23 minutes to go in that game, but by then the teams had called a truce and the action wound down to a dull 0-0 draw.
United still have only a trace of the energy on display from when Sir Alex Ferguson was in charge, and still take the negative option more eagerly than is necessary, but Marcus Rashford is an upgrade on anything they had on the field that day, in terms of his sheer pace and directness.
He is a challenge to any central defender, and certainly to the pairing City had out here, Martin Demichelis and Eliaquim Mangala. Demichelis was only ever supposed to be a stop-gap, and looks it, while City have been waiting for Mangala to get used to the English game for close on two years now.
Perhaps he never will.
The truth is that defenders like pacey forwards about as much as batsmen like pacey bowlers and by half-time Rashford could have had City two behind.
Manchester City supporters produced a pre-match display in an attempt to inspire their misfiring side to victory against their rivals
Sir Alex Ferguson (second left) was one of the United-supporting spectators who would have been delighted by their strong start
Manchester City's chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak (right) and Manchester United executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward shake hands
Fernandinho crashed into an early challenge on Michael Carrick as City sought to set the tone on home soil against United
Sergio Aguero was at the heart of a couple of good moves from the hosts with Manuel Pellegrini's side dictating the opening stages
Marouane Fellaini was on the bench for United after his ineffective performance against Liverpool and the midfielder was not called upon
But then came the sucker punch as Rashford broke through on goal, passing Martin Demichelis before finishing past Joe Hart
Fernandinho, Eliaquim Mangala and Raheem Sterling make their way back towards the half-way line dejected after conceding
United goalkeeper David de Gea showed his delight following Rashford's goal at the opposite end of the field after 16 minutes
The young striker celebrated netting his fifth senior goal with fellow youth produce Jesse Lingard as they headed back for half-way\
He scored one, and was denied what looked to be a more than legitimate penalty call shortly before half-time for another. Demichelis made a big show of reacting angrily to Rashford's fall, but it was an act. He had been skinned again, and lunged in clumsily. City were very fortunate to still be in touch.
Pace changes matches. City would have thought themselves doing rather well until Rashford intervened. They had the better of the possession early on and several reasonable chances.
In the seventh minute, a cross from Raheem Sterling found Jesus Navas who controlled well but shot wide. Soon after, a pass from David Silva found Navas again, but this time he kept his shot low, thwarted only by the legs of David de Gea. In between the two attempts, Chris Smalling was booked for stupidly tugging at Sergio Aguero, bringing back memories of his senseless sending off in the corresponding match here in 2014.
So City would have been feeling very settled when, in the 16th minute, Juan Mata slipped the ball through to Rashford in a central position.
He left Demichelis on his backside and was equally unfazed by the looming presence of Joe Hart. He drew England's goalkeeper and slipped the ball smartly past him.
Rashford was at the heart of everything good in the United attack, and Gael Clichy had to keep a close eye on the striker here
Sterling was replaced by Fernando after just 26 minutes, suffering an injury that would not allow him to continue
Demichelis could have been penalised for a poor challenge on Rashford inside his penalty area in stoppage time, but he was let off
Rashford was sent tumbling as Demichelis cut across him but the City defender accused his opponent of exaggerating his fall
Demichelis and Rashford squared up to each other following the incident, and Fernandinho was among the other players to get involved
Daley Blind and Aguero tangle as they compete for the ball in the middle of the park with City looking to drag themselves into the game
Following Sterling's substitution, Hart added to Roy Hodgson's England injury concerns after suffering a problem of his own
It truly was a torrid afternoon for Demichelis. In addition to the penalty appeal, when he simply stepped across Rashford, beaten all ends up, and sent him tumbling to the turf – why referee Michael Oliver failed to give it, who knows – there was an incident at the start of the second half that cost City their goalkeeper.
Hart played the ball out to Demichelis who, quickly under pressure, returned it in panicky and sloppy fashion. Suddenly, Hart was in a 50-50 on the edge of the six yard box with Martial, which he won bravely, but at a cost.
Hart stayed down and appeared to be holding his calf. He was carried down the tunnel, the second casualty for City and England, Sterling already off having suffered what appeared to be a groin injury following a foul tackle from Mata.
Demichelis was finally hauled off after 53 minutes, the last of City's substitutions. It was a cavalier call by Manuel Pellegrini, but the right one. Fernandinho went to centre half, an unfamiliar role, true, but he could hardly be worse.
Hart was caught short by a poor Demichelis back pass and the England goalkeeper had to slide in to stop Anthony Martial
The City stopper had to be placed on a stretcher, withdrawn and replaced by Willy Caballero five minutes after the half-time break
An animated Louis van Gaal encourages his team from the bench at the Etihad Stadium while assistant manager Ryan Giggs looks on
Aguero smashes a shot well wide of De Gea's goal from a wide angle after getting the better of Chris Smalling in a challenge
Demichelis' afternoon was ended early by manager Manuel Pellegrini, with the centre back replaced for attacking option Wilfried Bony
Hart will be a big miss for City, though, and he had kept them going further behind after 18 minutes when he was equal to a shot from Lingard.
At the other end, City frittered away chances. Demichelis – is there anything he cannot do – missed with a header from close range after 22 minutes, while Yaya Toure curled a shot wide put in by Navas 10 minutes later.
Sergio Aguero and Daley Blind, meanwhile, were going 12 rounds, a feud that came to a conclusion with the Manchester City man sent flying over by the corner flag. In came the free-kick, but Yaya Toure missed his kick and lost his footing at the far post.
Morgan Schneiderlin's shirt is pulled up over his left shoulder as the Frenchman slides in for a challenge on City's Brazilian Fernando
Aguero shows his frustration with City failing to find an equaliser at the hour mark despite throwing a second striker on with him
More frustration was to come for the Argentine striker when his header from close range came back off De Gea's near post
Van Gaal was out on the touchline making his point clear to his players as the Dutchman sought to keep hold of the one-goal lead
Fernando angles a shot at goal from range through a crowded penalty area, but United were able to keep their rivals at bay
Bony proved to be an ineffective substitute, finding breaking down United's defence just as difficult as his team-mates had
Bony did have one decent opening in front of goal but he was unable to trouble De Gea as strike partner Aguero watc
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