Manchester City extended their lead at the top of the Premier League table to six points with a 4-1 victory over rivals Manchester United at the Etihad.
Pep Guardiola’s side had not beaten United at home since 2018 going into the match, but made the perfect start when Kevin De Bruyne opened the scoring early on. Jadon Sancho got the visitors level after an impressive counter, but they weren’t on terms for long before De Bruyne got his second to restore the lead.
United struggled to have a single meaningful touch in the second-half, and Riyad Mahrez made sure of the three points when he swept home a brilliant half-volley from the edge of the box before adding his second in stoppage-time with the help of VAR.
The cushion is back to six points for City, thought Liverpool do have a game in hand, while United’s top-four hopes continue to slip away.
Cristiano Ronaldo was named in the United squad as he missed out with a hip injury, as Ralf Rangnick started in a 4-2-2-2 formation with Bruno Fernandes and Paul Pogba with the two players furthest forward in a central position.
It was City who made a rapid start though, taking the lead inside five minutes. Bernardo Silva pulled a great ball back into the box, where De Bruyne ran onto it and side-footed past David de Gea.
United improved though and equalised through Sancho, as he finished off a swift counter by cutting inside and curling a wonderful effort into the far corner.
Guardiola’s side responded to that setback and gradually took back control, as De Bruyne got his second of the afternoon with less than 30 minutes played. Phil Foden was denied by De Gea, Jack Grealish then had a shot blocked but it was third time lucky for City as the rebound fell to De Bruyne who lifted it into the net.
Sancho missed a big opportunity to put United level again, but ballooned his effort over the bar from close range.
City were completely dominant after the break and pushed the visitors back, with Foden going close and De Bruyne having a couple of chances to seal his hat-trick.
The hosts ensured they had a comfortable final 20 minutes though as they extended the lead through Mahrez. De Bruyne floated a corner out to the edge of the box, where the Algerian met it on the half-volley and sent a strike into the far corner with the help of a slight deflection off Harry Maguire.
City had 92% of possession in the 15 minutes that followed that goal, before Mahrez added his second in stoppage-time. His strike was initially ruled out for offside, but the goal was given by VAR to cap off a perfect derby day for the blue side of Manchester.
