Džeko 1', 56', Yaya Touré 90'
Džeko double decides battle of David v's Goliath.
The parable pronounces the gallantry in one overwhelming underdog's fruitful attempt to topple a true giant of the land, but it was Goliath who reigned supreme in Tuesday night's confrontation at Old Trafford. David Moyes's decaying Manchester United side fell to their sixth home league defeat of the season with a lifeless performance which only served to make way for Manuel Pellegrini's minions to march closer towards the title. There's something rotten in the state of Mancunia, and the stench is intensifying on Sir Matt Busby Way.
On a night where 'The Chosen One' banner had to be guarded by stewards, the man himself was given no protection by his clan of clowns who flopped to their second derby day defeat of the season. Wins against Olympiakos and West Ham United had brightened the black skies hanging over the Scot's head in the build up to Tuesday night's clash, but Pellegrini's side issued the fallen champions with a harsh reminder of their real capabilities under Moyes - capabilities that don't extend to top four sides.
(Easy: Joe Hart and Edin Džeko share a chuckle after the comfortable win - via MCFC Facebook)
The Stella's began their pursuit down the throats of City fans as Michael Oliver blew his whistle to commence the 150th Manchester derby, but vodka shots soon joined the party when Edin Džeko fired the blues into the lead after just 43 seconds. David Silva's exquisite touch was blocked excellently by Rafael inside the box, but the Brazilian's clearance could only find compatriot Fernandinho who angled a superb ball into Samir Nasri who smashed against David de Gea's post. Cruelly, the rebound fell into the path of the Bosnian striker who was expertly placed to tap in the opener.
(Edin Džeko gives City the perfect start with goal in the first minute - via MCFC Facebook)
Even acclaimed Manchester United fan Usain Bolt would have been impressed by the velocity of City's approach that petrified the hosts in the opening minutes. The magic of David Silva was spiraling round the 75,000 capacity stadium as he tied and knotted the aging legs of Rio Ferdinand in front of David de Gea's goal, and blurry interchanges between himself, Yaya Touré and Samir Nasri provided the main entertainment of the first half. Moyes's tactics appeared to focus around combating the threat of City's midfield, but not even a holding trio of Marouane Fellaini, Tom Cleverley and Michael Carrick could contain the brilliance of Manuel's magicians.
The Old Trafford faithful bellowed their requests for a response, and the reds enjoyed a spell of possession as the first half approached its climax. Chances fell at the feet of both Marouane Fellaini and Juan Mata, but despite Sky Sports News's bizarre focus on the two opportunities, the £64.6m duo never really tested Hart's goal.
The blues looked happy to contain after such a sizzling start to the game, and not even a malicious elbow from United's Belgian afroman on Pablo Zabaleta could affect the comfort with which the blues were passing the ball. Replays suggest the foul should have warranted a red card, but referee Michael Oliver could only produce yellow.
(Marouane Fellaini plants a vicious elbow into the face of Pablo Zabaleta - via Daily Star)
Not for the first time this season, Moyes's tactics were helping his side on their way to yet another loss. Tom Cleverley's no show on the right hand side of midfield was replaced by the creativity of Shinji Kagawa at the break, but the Japanese international could do little to guide his team to an equaliser.
And it was the visitors who attacked the second half with a seductive vigor yet again when they doubled their lead on the 56 minute mark. Samir Nasri's out-swinging corner met the right boot of Džeko who cleanly dispatched his second goal of the game into the roof of de Gea's net, and as a blue Poznan danced in the stands, a sea of red began to filter out of the stadium. Not even United's heroic hall of famer Sir Alex Ferguson could escape the wrath of a frenzied home crowd as an embarrassing section of his former supporters directed their frustrations towards him.
(Edin Džeko and Samir Nasri cannot hide their delight as they celebrate City's second of the game - via MCFC Facebook)
As the tie filtered out into a comfortable twenty minutes of passing practice for the blues, David Moyes began to hide the harsh reality of his team's demise behind the wrinkles of his palms. A rare moment of spontaneity from Danny Welbeck almost gifted the reds a goal, but Joe Hart was on hand to flap away the Englishman's effort.
But there was time for one last surge from the blues who glittered the scoreline with a third goal with just seconds left to play. Milner's cross into Yaya Touré was caressed excellently by the Ivorian who skipped round Patrice Evra and fired in a driven effort into the far corner.
(Yaya Touré applies the icing on the cake of a mouthwatering victory)
The blues had never gone into a Derby day clash so clearly as favourites, but the gulf in class on show at Old Trafford on Tuesday evening served to strengthen those pre-match claims. David Moyes may not be the man for Manchester United, but Manuel Pellegrini is indubitably the man for us, and with two games in hand on league leaders Chelsea, our push for the title appears to be acquiring acceleration.
Player Ratings
Joe Hart 7 - Often criticised for his distribution, the England stopper had no trouble providing David Silva and co. with a series of precise goal kicks to kick start City's attacks. Relatively untroubled, but denied Danny Welbeck a certain goal with a great reaction save.
Pablo Zabaleta 8 - The only action inside his own half concerned a malicious Fellaini elbow for which the Belgian should have been sent off, but other than that, the Argentine was able to offer his abilities in City's attack.
Vincent Kompany 8.5 - Returned from suspension in emphatic style and made sure United's main threat, Wayne Rooney, didn't have a sniff. Excellent in defence, and his unrivaled ability to read the game also halted a number of promising United attacks.
Martin Demichelis 8 - His best performance alongside Kompany. Comfortable on the ball and had no trouble with the pace of Danny Welbeck. The veteran is certainly settling into life at the heart of City's defence.
Gaël Clichy 8 - Will have been relieved not to see Antonio Valencia's name listed on the team sheet, and without any threat coming down the right hand side, Clichy was able to join in with City's attacking play. May not carry the same threat as Kolarov, but keeps the ball brilliantly and never rushes into a decision.
Jesus Navas 7 - His inclusion evidenced Pellegrini's intent to hit United early on, and it definitely worked. The Spaniard terrorised Evra with his pace in the early stages, but he was unable to maintain his spark and made way for Javi Garcia early in the second half.
Fernandinho 8.5 - Ensured United's possession resulted in nothing and completely controlled the centre of the park. Missed a great opportunity at 1-0, but fortunately, his team mates were on hand to cancel out the mistake.
Yaya Touré 8.5 - Distribution and dominance in the centre was perfect. Rarely has a bad game against the arch-rivals and added yet another peach to his tally in Manchester derbies.
Samir Nasri 7.5 - Formed a third of the trio that terrified the hosts in the opening stages. One touch passing was magnificent, but couldn't affect the game as positively as his fellow midfielders. Assisted Džeko's second.
David Silva 9 - Orchestrated City's blistering play in the opening minutes and never let Fellaini get near him. Tip-toed his way in and out of United's midfield with enchanting ease and got the better of his Spanish pal Juan Mata.
Edin Džeko 8.5 - Work rate was stunning and the Bosnian led the line fantastically in one of his best performances for the club to date. Two goals will cement his place as City's first choice striker until Sergio Agüero returns.
Match Stats
Corners: Manchester United 5 - 8 Manchester City
Possession: Manchester United 53% - 47% Manchester City
On a night where 'The Chosen One' banner had to be guarded by stewards, the man himself was given no protection by his clan of clowns who flopped to their second derby day defeat of the season. Wins against Olympiakos and West Ham United had brightened the black skies hanging over the Scot's head in the build up to Tuesday night's clash, but Pellegrini's side issued the fallen champions with a harsh reminder of their real capabilities under Moyes - capabilities that don't extend to top four sides.
(Easy: Joe Hart and Edin Džeko share a chuckle after the comfortable win - via MCFC Facebook)
The Stella's began their pursuit down the throats of City fans as Michael Oliver blew his whistle to commence the 150th Manchester derby, but vodka shots soon joined the party when Edin Džeko fired the blues into the lead after just 43 seconds. David Silva's exquisite touch was blocked excellently by Rafael inside the box, but the Brazilian's clearance could only find compatriot Fernandinho who angled a superb ball into Samir Nasri who smashed against David de Gea's post. Cruelly, the rebound fell into the path of the Bosnian striker who was expertly placed to tap in the opener.
(Edin Džeko gives City the perfect start with goal in the first minute - via MCFC Facebook)
Even acclaimed Manchester United fan Usain Bolt would have been impressed by the velocity of City's approach that petrified the hosts in the opening minutes. The magic of David Silva was spiraling round the 75,000 capacity stadium as he tied and knotted the aging legs of Rio Ferdinand in front of David de Gea's goal, and blurry interchanges between himself, Yaya Touré and Samir Nasri provided the main entertainment of the first half. Moyes's tactics appeared to focus around combating the threat of City's midfield, but not even a holding trio of Marouane Fellaini, Tom Cleverley and Michael Carrick could contain the brilliance of Manuel's magicians.
The Old Trafford faithful bellowed their requests for a response, and the reds enjoyed a spell of possession as the first half approached its climax. Chances fell at the feet of both Marouane Fellaini and Juan Mata, but despite Sky Sports News's bizarre focus on the two opportunities, the £64.6m duo never really tested Hart's goal.
The blues looked happy to contain after such a sizzling start to the game, and not even a malicious elbow from United's Belgian afroman on Pablo Zabaleta could affect the comfort with which the blues were passing the ball. Replays suggest the foul should have warranted a red card, but referee Michael Oliver could only produce yellow.
(Marouane Fellaini plants a vicious elbow into the face of Pablo Zabaleta - via Daily Star)
Not for the first time this season, Moyes's tactics were helping his side on their way to yet another loss. Tom Cleverley's no show on the right hand side of midfield was replaced by the creativity of Shinji Kagawa at the break, but the Japanese international could do little to guide his team to an equaliser.
And it was the visitors who attacked the second half with a seductive vigor yet again when they doubled their lead on the 56 minute mark. Samir Nasri's out-swinging corner met the right boot of Džeko who cleanly dispatched his second goal of the game into the roof of de Gea's net, and as a blue Poznan danced in the stands, a sea of red began to filter out of the stadium. Not even United's heroic hall of famer Sir Alex Ferguson could escape the wrath of a frenzied home crowd as an embarrassing section of his former supporters directed their frustrations towards him.
(Edin Džeko and Samir Nasri cannot hide their delight as they celebrate City's second of the game - via MCFC Facebook)
As the tie filtered out into a comfortable twenty minutes of passing practice for the blues, David Moyes began to hide the harsh reality of his team's demise behind the wrinkles of his palms. A rare moment of spontaneity from Danny Welbeck almost gifted the reds a goal, but Joe Hart was on hand to flap away the Englishman's effort.
But there was time for one last surge from the blues who glittered the scoreline with a third goal with just seconds left to play. Milner's cross into Yaya Touré was caressed excellently by the Ivorian who skipped round Patrice Evra and fired in a driven effort into the far corner.
(Yaya Touré applies the icing on the cake of a mouthwatering victory)
The blues had never gone into a Derby day clash so clearly as favourites, but the gulf in class on show at Old Trafford on Tuesday evening served to strengthen those pre-match claims. David Moyes may not be the man for Manchester United, but Manuel Pellegrini is indubitably the man for us, and with two games in hand on league leaders Chelsea, our push for the title appears to be acquiring acceleration.
Player Ratings
Joe Hart 7 - Often criticised for his distribution, the England stopper had no trouble providing David Silva and co. with a series of precise goal kicks to kick start City's attacks. Relatively untroubled, but denied Danny Welbeck a certain goal with a great reaction save. Pablo Zabaleta 8 - The only action inside his own half concerned a malicious Fellaini elbow for which the Belgian should have been sent off, but other than that, the Argentine was able to offer his abilities in City's attack. Vincent Kompany 8.5 - Returned from suspension in emphatic style and made sure United's main threat, Wayne Rooney, didn't have a sniff. Excellent in defence, and his unrivaled ability to read the game also halted a number of promising United attacks. Martin Demichelis 8 - His best performance alongside Kompany. Comfortable on the ball and had no trouble with the pace of Danny Welbeck. The veteran is certainly settling into life at the heart of City's defence. Gaël Clichy 8 - Will have been relieved not to see Antonio Valencia's name listed on the team sheet, and without any threat coming down the right hand side, Clichy was able to join in with City's attacking play. May not carry the same threat as Kolarov, but keeps the ball brilliantly and never rushes into a decision. Jesus Navas 7 - His inclusion evidenced Pellegrini's intent to hit United early on, and it definitely worked. The Spaniard terrorised Evra with his pace in the early stages, but he was unable to maintain his spark and made way for Javi Garcia early in the second half. Fernandinho 8.5 - Ensured United's possession resulted in nothing and completely controlled the centre of the park. Missed a great opportunity at 1-0, but fortunately, his team mates were on hand to cancel out the mistake. Yaya Touré 8.5 - Distribution and dominance in the centre was perfect. Rarely has a bad game against the arch-rivals and added yet another peach to his tally in Manchester derbies. Samir Nasri 7.5 - Formed a third of the trio that terrified the hosts in the opening stages. One touch passing was magnificent, but couldn't affect the game as positively as his fellow midfielders. Assisted Džeko's second. David Silva 9 - Orchestrated City's blistering play in the opening minutes and never let Fellaini get near him. Tip-toed his way in and out of United's midfield with enchanting ease and got the better of his Spanish pal Juan Mata. Edin Džeko 8.5 - Work rate was stunning and the Bosnian led the line fantastically in one of his best performances for the club to date. Two goals will cement his place as City's first choice striker until Sergio Agüero returns.
Substitutes
Javi Garcia 7 - Helped City see out the win and calmly patrolled the midfield alongside Fernandinho.
James Milner 7 - Fifteen minutes of effort and passion from the Englishman. Assisted Touré's goal.
Álvaro Negredo 7 - Physical presence kept United's defenders on their toes.
Shots on target: Manchester United 4 - 4 Manchester City
Shots off target: Manchester United 3 - 5 Manchester City
Blocked shots: Manchester United 3 - 4 Manchester City
Fouls: Manchester United 12 - 8 Manchester City
Pass Completion: Manchester United 85% - 82% Manchester City
Tackle Success: Manchester United 37% - 45% Manchester City
