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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Sport
Kieran King

Man Utd vs Man City winners and losers as Marcus Rashford shines and Erling Haaland poor

Marcus Rashford was the matchwinner for Manchester United as the Red Devils came from behind to claim a 2-1 victory in the Manchester derby on Saturday afternoon.

Jack Grealish gave Manchester City the lead in the second-half, before United sparked an unlikely comeback and levelled through Bruno Fernandes' controversial equaliser.

The 28-year-old ran through on goal and slotted the ball beyond Ederson, only for the flag to be raised. However, the referee and linesman decided to change their mind as it was Marcus Rashford in an offside position but he didn't touch the ball, meaning the goal was allowed to stand.

United had the momentum from then on and the Red Devils found a winner in the latter stages through Rashford, who poked home Alejandro Garnacho's cross to spark wild scenes at Old Trafford. It is a result that lifted United to third in the table, just a point behind City and six off league leaders Arsenal.

Here are the winners and losers from the Manchester derby.

Winners

Marcus Rashford

Having started the game so brightly, there were fears that Rashford's game was coming to an end when he picked up a hip problem just before half-time. But the England international soldiered on and continued on into the second-half after looking sharp in the opening stages despite finding the reward of a goal.

However, the 25-year-old continued to be a threat, especially on the break, and found his just rewards in the 82nd minute as he struck the winner with a poacher's finish. Having tried to stay onside for about three times in the same move, Rashford managed to stay behind the ball for Garnacho's cross as he steered the ball into the back of the net.

Erik ten Hag

The decision to start Fred over Antony before the game was put under question by many pundits and United supporters. But the Brazilian was put in to stop the threat of Kevin de Bruyne - and for large periods - he was successful at doing that as Fred pressed everywhere in the middle.

Although De Bruyne grabbed the assist for Grealish's opener, the Belgian was pretty abysmal apart from that and Ten Hag should take massive credit for his role in snuffing his danger out.

Fred, Casemiro and Christian Eriksen were key at stopping the gaps for City to dominate and that eventually helped United come out on top in the game.

(Matthew Peters/Manchester United via Getty Images)

Meanwhile, Ten Hag's choice to play Luke Shaw at centre-back over Lisandro Martinez and Harry Maguire should be praised. Shaw had another terrific game and he and Raphael Varane should take great credit for stopping the threat of goal-getter Erling Haaland.

Bruno Fernandes

The Portugal international has received some criticism from United fans at times so far this season due to the lack of goals and assists in his game. However, Fernandes has had to play in a different role for this United side since Ten Hag was appointed in the summer.

Although usually deployed the No.10 role, Fernandes was moved out to the right-wing for the clash with City but his job was mainly to stop Joao Cancelo and Phil Foden on City's left. And it was something that worked as he pressed and closed down everything out of possession, rather than focusing too much on when his side had the ball.

However, Fernandes' role changed following the substitution of Anthony Martial at half-time with Antony coming on in his place. The former Sporting Lisbon man played in a more central role and ended up scoring from that position with a lovely sweeping finish.

Marcus Rashford and Bruno Fernandes celebrate in the Manchester derby (Getty Images)

Did Manchester United deserve to win the Manchester derby? Let us know in the comments below!

Jack Grealish

Having started the game on the bench for the second successive Premier League game, Grealish had a point to prove. And it is safe to say the 27-year-old showed Pep Guardiola why he should be starting every week.

Grealish, who was impressive as a substitute in the 1-0 win over Chelsea, replicated a similar performance as he scored his second top-flight goal of the season. The ex-Aston Villa man was there at the back post to head home De Bruyne's cross, sparking delirium amongst the travelling City fans.

It wasn't just his end product that stood out during Grealish's cameo as the attacking midfielder showed so much composure on the ball and carried City forward at every attempt. Although Grealish was on the losing side, he won fouls, played intelligent passes, and had an excellent impact on the game - something Phil Foden didn't do.

Losers

Erling Haaland

After a momentous start to the campaign, Haaland has fallen off the pace in recent weeks and the forward blanked for the third successive game with a disappointing performance in the derby. The 22-year-old didn't have a shot on target and saw his only effort blocked in the first-half as he was stifled by a much-improved United back-line.

Erling Haaland before the Manchester derby at Old Trafford (Getty Images)

Haaland ran riot the last time the two teams met back in October as he struck a clinical hat-trick - but there was going to be no repeat of that in the clash at Old Trafford.

Jamie Carragher spotted that Haaland had dropped into a false nine position during the opening stages and it was something that didn't work as Haaland had just a handful of touches in the first-half. It was a frustrating day at the office for the ex-Borussia Dortmund man.

Anthony Martial

It proved to be a disappointing first-half performance from Anthony Martial, who failed to impact the game, and was subsequently substituted at the interval for Antony. There were some question marks about Martial's fitness heading into the game, with Ten Hag claiming the forward would be assessed over a 'small leg injury'.

But Martial didn't seem fully fit and struggled to get involved, although the Red Devils didn't have much possession at all in the opening 45 minutes as City dominated. The Frenchman failed to have a shot and was overshadowed by the threat of Marcus Rashford, who stood out in the first-half. Wout Weghorst, however, will be licking his lips at that Martial display following his loan move from Burnley.

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