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Juan Mata scored the only goal of the game as United did just enough to beat an under-strength City at Old Trafford

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Wed 26 Oct 2016 16.58 EDTFirst published on Wed 26 Oct 2016 14.00 EDT
Manchester United’s Juan Mata celebrates scoring their first goal and the United crowd are pretty happy too.
Manchester United’s Juan Mata celebrates scoring their first goal and the United crowd are pretty happy too. Photograph: Martin Rickett/PA
Manchester United’s Juan Mata celebrates scoring their first goal and the United crowd are pretty happy too. Photograph: Martin Rickett/PA

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That was hardly a classic but an important win for Mourinho nevertheless. There remain questions for both sides to answer.

Manchester United manager José Mourinho reacts after the final whistle. Photograph: Jason Cairnduff/Reuters
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Peep! PEEP!! PEEEEEEEP!!! It’s all over. José Mourinho can treat himself to something from the mini bar. Pep Guardiola goes a sixth game without a win.

90+1 min: Pogba picks up a booking for flying in on Otamendi. Ibrahimovic joins him for kicking the ball away as Cabellero looks to take the free-kick.

89 min: A dinked ball into the box evades Maffeo, who had tumbled under Shaw’s challenge. While prone on the turf he flicks his head at the ball like a stricken fish to no avail.

83 min: City enjoy another long spell of possession but can’t create anything. City shot’s on target tonight: zero.

78 min: Ibrahimovic releases Rashford down the right. His low cross is cut out by Maffeo with Pogba closing in. Corber to United …

75 min: Otamendi gets on the end of Valencia’s cross to head clear, with Ibrahimovic loitering with intent just behind.

65 min: Fine chance for Ibrahimovic as Rashford does Maffeo on the City right. His low cross bounces under the Swede’s foot. Zlatan is having One Of Those Nights. Though that doesn’t mean he’ll not still ping a 40-yard overhead kick into the top corner at some stage. While pulling a wheelie on a Harley. Dressed as Batman. On fire.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic misses a chance. Photograph: Matthew Ashton/AMA/Getty Images
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63 min: Pass, pass, pass from City. Passpasspass. PasspasspasspaCLUMP over the bar from 40 yards by Kolarov.

62 min: City have not been able to muster much of a response to that goal yet. They’re going in circles in midfield.

58 min: Shaw takes out Navas as the Spaniard tears past him once more. No free-kick, says Dean, wrongly.

56 min: United have gone up a gear (as they needed to) while Kompany’s half-time departure has thoroughly disrupted City’s back four. Otamendi has another nervous moment as Pogba tumbles on the edge of the box. Mike Dean says no penalty, to the United man’s chagrin.

GOAL! Man Utd 1-0 Man City (Mata 54)

This had been coming since the break. Ibrahimovic holds offf Otamendi in an aerial battle then squares for Mata to sidefoot home from eight yards out.

Juan Mata gives the home side the lead. Photograph: Darren Staples/Reuters
Mata celebrates scoring their first goal as the United faithful celebrates in the stands. Photograph: Jason Cairnduff/Reuters
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53 min: And right on cue, City break down the other end and Iheanacho squares the ball across the six-yard box. No one is there to tap home.

52 min: Mata’s volleyed cross is punched away by Caballero but this is much, much, much better from United.

50 min: Rashford skips past a couple of defenders on the left, then slips the ball to Pogba, who curls an effort from distance narrowly wide.

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49 min: Pogba hits the post! Much better buildup from United sees Ibrahimovic put the Frenchman through on goal. He’s denied by a quite brilliant save from Caballero, who tips the ball on to the upright.

Manchester United’s Paul Pogba shoots ... Photograph: Jason Cairnduff/Reuters
And can’t believe that Caballero saved it. Photograph: Jason Cairnduff/Reuters
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47 min: United enjoy a long spell of possession without going anywhere much before Mata gives the ball away to Iheanacho again in United’s half. The striker’s pass to Nolito is a poor one. And Nolito is offside anyway. That was a period of play that pretty much sums up the game as a whole.

An email:

“Perhaps what those other live creamy-flummery based shows need is a bit of steely sporting backbone, while the live sport perhaps need a bit more custard pie-style slapstick,” writes Robin Hazlehurst. “Maybe you should combine the live blogs for GBBO and the Fizzy Cup and call the result ‘It’s A Knockout’ (younger readers ask your (grand)parents).”

During half-time, enjoy some Mike Dean being Mike Dean:

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Peep! PEEP!!! All square at half-time. That was error strewn stuff in truth, but entertaining nevertheless. [INSERT YOUR OWN JOKE ABOUT SOMEONE RISING TO THE OCCASION IN THE SECOND HALF].

45 min: A minimum of one minute of added time to be played. Which is not going to be enough time for me to work a way to shoehorn “the game’s scone” into the MBM.

43 min: The impressive Garcia finds Navas out on the right and he zips past Shaw for the umpteenth time. His cross is cleared at the near post.

Manchester City’s Jesus Navas goes on the charge. Photograph: Jason Cairnduff/Reuters
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41 min: It’s Ibrahimovic’s turn to give the ball away in his own half and he’s lucky Nolito can’t take advantage. “A quaint English tradition, spoilt by new TV money, based around something that’s overcooked and come out flatter than expected …” writes David Flynn. “Is this not the GBBO blog?”

39 min: Blind is sloppier than over-egged cake mixture in playing the ball out of defence. Iheanacho is through on goal but his effort lacks conviction and a sliding defender is able to make the block.

37 min: Valencia nods away as City create space down their right once more. And at the other end City are scrambling to deny Rashford, who is briefly through on goal before delaying his shot.

36 min: The first opening for United. Shaw does brilliantly down the left and pulls the ball back to Ibrahimovic, whose shot is charged down by Otamendi.

34 min: You have the ball. No, you have the ball. No, no, I insist, you have the ball. I couldn’t possibly, you have the ball. Oh, I’ll just smack the thing out of play for a goal kick instead.

31 min: Ibrahimovic neatly swishes past a challenge in midfield but then scruffily gives the ball away with a poorly executed (and conceived) pass.

28 min: Navas whips past Shaw again and feeds the ball into Iheanacho. His pass is overcooked and goes through to De Gea.

Manchester City’s Kelechi Iheanacho is beaten to the ball by Manchester United’s David De Gea. Photograph: Jason Cairnduff/Reuters
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