Right, that’s it from me. Stick around on site for all the reports and reaction. But from me cheerio!
Juan Mata scored the only goal of the game as United did just enough to beat an under-strength City at Old Trafford
Wed 26 Oct 2016 16.58 EDT
First published on Wed 26 Oct 2016 14.00 EDTLive feed
That was hardly a classic but an important win for Mourinho nevertheless. There remain questions for both sides to answer.
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+2 min: Cabellero gets to a through-ball just ahead of Pogba.
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.
90 min: A minimum of four added minutes to play.
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.
87 min: Ibrahimovic robs Kolarov, who compounds his error by fouling the United man.
85 min: Aguero looks stunned as the linesman flags for a foul on Carrick.
83 min: City enjoy another long spell of possession but can’t create anything. City shot’s on target tonight: zero.
81 min: The hobbling Rashford off, Lingard on.
79 min: … swung in by Herrera and, after an almighty amount of City faffing, cleared away.
78 min: Ibrahimovic releases Rashford down the right. His low cross is cut out by Maffeo with Pogba closing in. Corber to United …
77 min: It’s very flat. City can’t get anything going. United are pipe-and-slippers comfortable.
75 min: Otamendi gets on the end of Valencia’s cross to head clear, with Ibrahimovic loitering with intent just behind.
73 min: Mata off, the lesser-spotted Schneiderlin on.
72 min: Sterling swings a corner straight into the hands of De Gea.
71 min: The ineffectual Nolito off, Agüero on.
70 min: Kolarov launches the free-kick yards over the bar.
69 min: Sterling wins a dangerous free-kick for City after Herrera sticks out a foot rather unwisely.
68 min: … which is cleared.
67 min: Navas wins a corner from Shaw …
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.
64 min: Sterling on, Sane off for City.
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.
60 min: Raheem Sterling is about to be sprung from the City bench.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Peep! Off we go again. City have made a change: Kolarov comes on for Kompany.
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:
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.
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.
38 min: “I’m sorry,” begins JJ (who I suspect is not sorry), “but all these live competition TV shows that don’t involve a sport all seem as ridiculous as Monty Python’s sketch Novel Writing (Live from Wessex) in which a stadium crowd cheers every word as Thomas Hardy attempts to write The Return of the Native.”
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.
32 min: Kompany, not for the first time, clumps a pass out of play for a United throw-in.
31 min: Ibrahimovic neatly swishes past a challenge in midfield but then scruffily gives the ball away with a poorly executed (and conceived) pass.
30 min: Pass, pass, pass from United who have improved a touch over the past 10 minutes or so.
28 min: Navas whips past Shaw again and feeds the ball into Iheanacho. His pass is overcooked and goes through to De Gea.