Manchester United 1-2 Manchester City: Nicolas Otamendi and David Silva strike before remarkable Ederson save seals 11-point Premier League lead

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Nothing summed up the yawning difference between these two teams better than the sight of Romelu Lukaku comically miskicking a clearance into the backside of teammate Chris Smalling to set up Manchester City’s winner.

Lukaku was signed for £75million in the summer to pose a threat in front of goal. Manchester United never reckoned it would be their own.

The Belgium striker had a first Old Trafford derby to forget, inadvertently contributing to both City goals – one a corner, the other a freekick. And we thought Pep Guardiola’s team might be vulnerable at set-pieces.

Nicolas Otamendi was the hero as his acrobatic effort from close range sealed a 14th victory in a row for Manchester City

Otamendi salutes the crowd after putting Manchester City back into the lead with a goal very similar to Silva's opening strike

Manchester City playmaker David Silva broke the deadlock with a close-range effort following a first-half corner

Silva celebrates with his team-mates as Manchester City take the lead during a dominant first-half display at Old Trafford

Manchester United players make their way to their starting positions with dejected demeanours after conceding a second

Romelu Lukaku and Juan Mata look on in disbelief after City goalkeeper Ederson manages to save their close-range shots

Leroy Sane shared a picture of the Manchester City players celebrating their narrow victory in the visitors' changing room

MATCH FACTS, LEAGUE TABLE AND MATCH ZONE 

Manchester United (4-2-3-1): De Gea; Valencia, Smalling, Rojo (Lindelof 46), Young; Herrera (Mata 82), Matic; Martial, Lingard (Ibrahimovic 76), Rashford; Lukaku. 

Subs not used: Romero, Jones, Shaw, McTominay.

Goals: Rashford 45+2

Bookings: Rojo, Rashford, Herrera, Young

Manager: Jose Mourinho 

Manchester City (4-3-3): Ederson; Walker, Otamendi, Kompany (Gundogan 46), Delph; Fernandinho, Silva (Bernardo 88), De Bruyne; Sterling, Sane, Jesus (Mangala 59).

Sub not used: Bravo, Danilo, Zinchenko, Aguero.

Goals: Silva 43, Otamendi 54

Bookings: Walker, Silva

Manager: Pep Guardiola

Referee: Michael Oliver

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Marcus Rashford pounced on a loose touch from Fabian Delph to score the equaliser. SEE MORE FROM OUR FANTASTIC MATCH ZONE HERE

 

PLAYER RATINGS - David Silva shines while Romelu Lukaku goes missing... again (Click HERE to read)

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This is not a City side that needs any help scoring. They were splendid again on Sunday and deserved to win by a greater margin.

What better place to celebrate a record 14th straight top-flight victory in a single season and end United’s 40-game unbeaten home run since losing here to their neighbours in September 2016?

It means City have opened up an 11-point lead over their closest rivals on a weekend when Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool also dropped points.

It may be premature to say the title race is over before Christmas, but can anyone stop them now?

Jose Mourinho moaned about the penalty he thought his team should have been awarded for Nicolas Otamendi’s late challenge on Ander Herrera, but Herrera got away with two of his own in the first half on Otamendi and Gabriel Jesus in what was a physical and sometimes bad-tempered 175th Manchester derby.

And Mourinho’s argument conveniently ignored the fact that United were second best in almost every area of the pitch.

Manchester City's corner deflected off United striker Romelu Lukaku and fell the the feet of Silva, who finished the chance

David de Gea and his United defenders look to the assistant referee for an offside call, but Silva was several yards onside

England international Marcus Rashford buried a chance after Manchester City's Fabian Delph failed to control a wayward pass

Rashford is congratulated by his Manchester United and England team-mate Jesse Lingard following his equaliser

Otamendi was gifted the chance to put City back into the lead after Lukaku's clearance bounced off a crowd of players

Manchester City defender Otamendi runs off to celebrate after giving Manchester City a 2-1 lead at Old Trafford

Manchester City goalkeeper Ederson keeps them in the lead with a dramatic point-blank save from striker Lukaku

The goalkeeper got back on his feet within moments to deny a follow-up shot from Manchester United star Mata

Lukaku failed to clear the ball in the build up to both of Manchester City's goal and also missed a great chance to score 

City had 65 per cent possession to United’s 35 per cent in a game that followed the pre-match predictions of the home team defending in depth and hoping to hit their opponents on the break.

‘Park the bus, park the bus, Man United,’ sang the visiting fans, but at times they had no choice.

United had just 10 touches in the City box, including three for Lukaku whose misery was complete when Ederson produced a stunning double save in the dying minutes.

Mourinho left the stage talking about ‘lucky’ City but that was rather graceless from a manager who has now lost 10 of his 20 contests with Guardiola, winning just four.

The gap between these two clubs appears to be growing on every level, and that is what will concern United this morning.

Until it produced two goals in the final minutes of the first half, the match was brought to life by some good old-fashioned derby tackles.

Kyle Walker was booked inside the opening four minutes for upending Herrera, while Nemanja Matic escaped punishment for clipping Walker.

Kompany then brought protests from the United players when he ploughed into Herrera before Marcos Rojo and David Silva both needed treatment after the Argentine flew into the back of the City playmaker to win a header.

Rojo came off worse with a cut to his forehead and was down for several minutes before walking gingerly to the touchline to change his bloodstained shirt.

Snow falls in front of the Sir Alex Ferguson Stand at Old Trafford before the game gets underway on Sunday afternoon

Manchester United and City players are followed by the Spider-Cam as they head onto the pitch from the Old Trafford tunnel

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola shakes hands with his United counterpart Mourinho before the match kicks off

Star strikers Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Sergio Aguero greet each other as they make their way to their respective dugouts

A battle would have suited Mourinho more, but City still produced some good attacking football and could have taken the lead before Silva struck in the 43rd minute.

Chris Smalling got enough of a challenge on Raheem Sterling to take the sting out of his shot straight at David De Gea, and Jesus produced an equally tame effort at the United keeper after leaving Rojo on his backside.

But Guardiola’s side drew first blood after De Gea produced a fantastic reflex save from Leroy Sane.

From the resulting corner from Kevin De Bruyne, Lukaku knocked the ball back towards his own goal under pressure from Otamendi. Silva, played onside by Ashley Young, hooked it home from close-range.

United had to change their game and did so immediately. Anthony Martial forced Ederson into his first real save of the half before Marcus Rashford equalised in added time.

Managers Mourinho and Guardiola watch as Antonio Valencia and Leroy Sane challenge for the ball during the first half

Manchester City playmaker Kevin De Bruyne is surrounded by three Manchester United players on the edge of their area

Manchester City striker Gabriel Jesus shoots at the United goal and looks on in dejection after failing to score a goal

Guardiola gesticulates on from his technical area while his counterpart Mourinho controls the ball after it goes out of play

Again poor defending was partly to blame. Otamendi failed to cut out Rojo’s cross from left to right and the ball bounced awkwardly off Fabian Delph.

Rashford was calmness personified, moving on to the loose ball and striking it first time across Ederson.

The goal breathed new life into this derby and, for a while, the title race as well.

But this City team is simply too good and they retook the lead nine minutes after half-time after Herrera had been penalised for a foul on Jesus.

Silva swung a freekick to the edge of the six-yard box where Lukaku had it covered and also had time to weigh up what to do next.

The United striker chose to clear first-time but aimed the ball straight at Smalling. It deflected to Otamendi who volleyed emphatically past a helpless De Gea.

Manchester United midfielder Ander Herrera yelps after a firm challenge from Manchester City captain Vincent Kompany

Manchester United players surround referee Michael Oliver to demand further punishment for Kompany's sliding challenge

Marcos Rojo bleeds profusely after a clash of heads with Manchester City midfielder David Silva, who also lies injured

The Argentine required lengthy treatment from the Manchester United physios while Silva escaped relatively unharmed

Old Trafford implored United to find another equaliser but City looked more likely to extend their lead, De Gea getting down well to turn away De Bruyne’s low effort.

Herrera wanted a penalty when he went down theatrically over Otamendi’s challenge but got a yellow card instead. It was a close call by Michael Oliver, and one that went City’s way much to Mourinho’s disgust.

There was still time for Lukaku’s day to go from bad to worse when Anthony Martial’s cross reached him in front of goal in the 84th minute.

The £75m man placed his first-time shot straight into the face of Ederson who then produced a brilliant follow-up save from substitute Juan Mata.

The chance had gone and so too had United’s hopes of catching their neighbours anytime soon. It’s a long way back now. 

Guardiola celebrates while Mourinho looks concerned after seeing Manchester City retake the lead through Otamendi 

Rashford attempts to get Manchester United back on level terms with a free-kick shot, but sees his effort go narrowly over

Jesse Lingard makes way for Ibrahimovic as Manchester United switch to a more attacking formation in search of a goal

Herrera causes a commotion between the two teams after appearing to dive over the leg of Manchester City's Otamendi

The Spaniard found his way into Oliver's book after attempting to win a penalty from Otamendi in the Manchester City box

Delph celebrates in front of the travelling Manchester City supporters following the final whistle at Old Trafford