Despite spending similar amounts of capital, the gulf between the two Manchester sides, at the moment, simply cannot be any wider.
And it was on display during yesterday’s league clash between Manchester City and Manchester United at the Etihad.
Considering the historic rivalry shared by the clubs, one would expect the Reds to show some spirit and fight, instead, fans were treated to a clinical City performance, as they dominated their neighbours in all areas of the pitch.
Beginning with a frenetic start, the deadlock was broken early on through Kevin De Bruyne, before a stunning Jadon Sancho effort brought things level. The promise shown early on by United soon dwindled as City regained their lead through another by the Belgian, and they began to dominate proceedings.
A change of mentality was required for the second half, instead, United were outclassed even further and their attempts at executing a press led to even further punishment.
At times during the second 45, United players looked dejected and despondent, and their negative body language spoke volumes, such was the scale of City’s dominance.
United, astoundingly, created an xg of 0.00 during the second half and had just 8% possession in the final 15 minutes.
Perhaps the image which best sums up City’s performance on the night is this one featuring City goalkeeper Ederson.
Aside from the goal and a few rare chances during the first half, Ederson largely played spectator to the game, as United simply didn’t threaten at all.
In the image, the Cityzens appear to be taking a set piece in the United box, the Brazilian keeper, who faced the bare minimum threat to his goal, can be seen taking a seat near the half-way line and quite literally spectating proceedings.
Pep Guardiola’s sides are known for incorporating even goalkeepers into their patterns of play, however, Ederson’s positioning in the image almost certainly serves no other purpose, other than being a picturesque representation of the divide between the blue and red halves of Manchester.
