Manchester United and Manchester City meet at Old Trafford in the first derby of the season at Old Trafford.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will be hoping his players can produce another stirring performance to keep him secure in his job after they responded to the 5-0 thrashing by Liverpool with a win at Tottenham and a dramatic draw with Atalanta.
Pep Guardiola’s City, meanwhile, can’t really afford to drop any points with Chelsea and Liverpool ahead of them in the title race.
Follow Sportsmail’s ADAM SHERGOLD for live Premier League coverage of Manchester United vs Manchester City, including build-up, team news and updates.
Absolute dominance by City from start to finish. They have scored two but it would have been five or six on another day. United limp and useless and you do wonder where Solskjaer goes from here.
The scoreline may not have been as embarrassing as the Liverpool game two weeks ago but performance-wise, it was equally as bad for United, who were completely outplayed.
They fell behind to Eric Bailly’s own goal and then were indebted to David de Gea for making save after save. But he was then culpable for Bernardo Silva’s second on the stroke of half-time.
Blue Moon being sung by the away fans. Most of the United fans have already headed home, swathes of empty seats around Old Trafford.
City continuing to walk through United and Joao Cancelo, who has been excellent all afternoon, gets to the byline and pings in a low cross that goes through De Gea’s legs but to no one in particular.
Cristiano Ronaldo is booked for a frustrated foul on De Bruyne close to the touchline. Four minutes of misery for United to endure yet.
Gabriel Jesus wants a penalty after Alex Telles reached in his left foot to try and dispossess him inside the box. VAR will check it but no penalty given, just a corner.
City still chasing a third to really rub it in. John Stones is able to spin away from Scott McTominay following a City corner but sends his low shot just wide of the post with De Gea scrambling.
Chants of ‘Ole, Ole’ from the home fans. They’re still supportive of the manager despite what is another damaging defeat. You can’t imagine them coming close to mounting a title challenge.
City should have wrapped it up there. Phil Foden in acres of space on the left, neat first touch to set himself and his shot scrapes the outside of the far post.
Gary Neville summing up the situation nicely on commentary: ‘The last few minutes United have resembled a drunk bloke at the end of the night trying to win a fight. They look so leggy, can’t get into the game, walking around the pitch.’
And Donny van de Beek will finally get his chance to ironic cheers from the crowd. He replaces Fred in midfield.
Kevin De Bruyne shanks a volley well wide after the ball came out to him quickly when Gundogan’s cross was headed away by Alex Telles. City looking more likely to score a third than United are to getting one back.
United have had just three – yep, three – touches in the City penalty box this afternoon. That speaks volumes. They can’t even get close to landing a punch on their rivals.
Shaw clearly feeling groggy still and he stops once again. This time he will be taken off under the concussion rules and Telles strips off in the home dug-out.
An unwanted end to Shaw’s 200th United appearance.
Shaw is actually fine to continue after a minute or two of treatment. His face is completely covered in grass.
An injury blow here for United as Luke Shaw goes down and requires some treatment. Alex Telles doing a hasty warm-up down on the sidelines.
Shaw didn’t quite get up for a header and the hip of Rodri caught him on the back of the head.
Rashford comes on to replace Mason Greenwood and has 24 minutes to try and conjure a miracle for United here.
United’s next role of the dice will be to bring on Marcus Rashford it would appear.
City, in the meantime, are expertly running down the clock with spells of controlled possession.
Into the final half-hour and Old Trafford unsurprisingly very subdued. United have been better after half-time but aren’t creating much and City remain in control and more than capable of settling it with a third goal.
Mason Greenwood gets a sight of goal, albeit from 30 yards out, and slides a low shot wide. Well, it’s a chance for United.
Another City man into the book as Bernardo Silva clips Ronaldo as the United man tries some fancy footwork on the left touchline.
The United fans singing the name of Donny van de Beek as he warms up in front of them. A game-changer? They think he might be.
City appear happier to attack on the counter in this half and Phil Foden slips a through pass into Ilkay Gundogan, who dinks in a cross but can’t find anyone.
In the meantime, Donny van de Beek leaves the dug-out to warm up. Surely not?
United seeing more of the ball in the opening five minutes of this half than the entirety of the first 45. All very nice as they stroke the ball around in front of City’s lines but can they actually do anything with it?
Mason Greenwood is brought down by Joao Cancelo and the City left-back is the first player in the book this afternoon.
United have the chance to swing in a cross from the right. Bruno Fernandes delivers and it misses everyone in the centre.
Fernandes questioning, with some justification, why someone hadn’t gambled with a back post run to meet his delivery.
United about to get the second-half underway and there has been change of personnel and of system for the home side. Jadon Sancho comes on for Eric Bailly.
It would appear United will revert to their more familiar 4-2-3-1 set-up to afford a bit more threat going forward.
Can they alter the inevitable City win here?
Boos greet the half-time whistle and the United fans have no reason to be happy at all. They have been second best here by some considerable distance and are lucky it’s only 2-0.
Eric Bailly put Joao Cancelo’s cross into his own net to gift City an early lead and United have been on the ropes ever since, with David de Gea making four great saves to keep them in the game.
But just before the half-time whistle, Bernardo Silva sneaked in to score City’s second and nobody can have any complaints.
That is an absolutely shocking goal for United to concede – abysmal defending. But it is a fairer reflection on City’s first half dominance.
De Gea has been excellent so far but he was at fault there, allowing Bernardo Silva’s back post toe-poke to sneak past him and inside the post. Few in Old Trafford realise it had gone in at first.
But dreadfully hesitant defending by United as both Maguire and Shaw left Cancelo’s whipped ball in, not realising Silva was there behind them.
Joao Cancelo pings a cross-field ball that flies out of play. It offers United a platform to maybe create a chance but they carelessly let the ball run out of play. Greenwood the guilty party.
The rain now teaming down at Old Trafford in classic Manchester fashion.
Out of nothing, United string together a good move with Wan-Bissaka showing some attacking intent, taking a pass from Fred and then trying to slide through Ronaldo.
The Portuguese shoots and it’s blocked by Ederson but he hadn’t quite timed his run through and the offside flag is raised.
About eight minutes until half-time and you’d be astonished if United get back to the dressing room only one goal behind.
They’ve been totally indebted to David de Gea so far. Without him, they’d be miles out of sight.
De Gea spares his defenders from yet more embarrassment.
Foden has Wan-Bissaka on toast once again and his driven low cross is turned towards his own goal by Victor Lindelof. Luckily for then Swede, De Gea had his foot positioned in the right place to keep it out.
It just seems like a matter of time until City score again as De Bruyne forces De Gea into another excellent, one-handed save.
How is it not 2-0?
An outstanding save by David De Gea, who has kept United in the game there.
Bad defending from Wan-Bissaka again to allow Phil Foden in behind and he cuts the ball back to De Bruyne, who can’t convert. But it comes to Gabriel Jesus, who simply must score but his shot is saved brilliantly by De Gea, who got down to push it over.
From City’s next attack, De Gea turns over a Cancelo snapshot from outside the box.
Good chance for United and a top save by Ederson.
Cristiano Ronaldo with a cracking volley from just inside the box, on the left foot to meet Shaw’s good cross. Sharp reactions from the City keeper to push it out.
Better from the home side.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer looks ashen-faced on the bench. Michael Carrick looks pensive sat next to him.
The best news for United as it stands is that they’ve stayed in the contest – unlike against Liverpool when they were four down by half-time.
A passage of United possession relieves a bit of pressure but Wan-Bissaka’s eventual cross is blocked.
Joao Cancelo gifted the ball by Wan-Bissaka and then skips past a poor tackle by Scott McTominay as he advances down the City left. Kevin De Bruyne eventually wins a corner that Lindelof heads clear.
United with a rare glimpse of the City half but Ronaldo is flagged offside as he runs through to collect a pass. Obviously he refuses to believe he was offside and there’s some arm waving.
Meanwhile, Harry Maguire leaves a sore one on Kevin De Bruyne.
City attack again with Bernardo Silva trying to get an angle on his left foot before picking out De Bruyne. He tries to thread a pass through to Phil Foden inside the box but doesn’t quite get it right.
United swamped City a little better there to defuse the danger but they are regularly being dragged out of position.
A poor tackle by Aaron Wan-Bissaka brings down Phil Foden on the City left and they’ll have a chance to swing across a free-kick from a threatening position.
It’s zipped across by De Bruyne but dealt with by United, who get a moment of respite.
City enjoying 72 per cent of the ball so far with United still unable to play their way out of their own half. Bruno Fernandes tries and fails to get the ball out to Cristiano Ronaldo.
City just hogging the ball at the moment, hoping to work it towards a chance for a second goal and even at this early stage, you suspect that might be game over.
A terrific ball comes across from Kevin De Bruyne, arced into the box looking for Phil Foden at the back post. But the England man can’t quite reach it.
So how do United respond now, once again, they have failed to keep a clean sheet at Old Trafford?
They have set up to contain City but now the visitors are ahead, they need to switch things and have more of an outlet going forward.
Yet City will certainly go for the jugular as Liverpool did a fortnight ago.
It’s a nightmare start for United, just as in the Liverpool game.
And it’s a catastrophe for Eric Bailly, who slices into his own net after Joao Cancelo got forward down the left to retrieve an overhit cross, is allowed time to shape a cross and then whips in a ball.
Bailly attempted to get it clear but could only succeed in diverting it beyond David de Gea and into his own net.
United so deep in these opening exchanges with even Mason Greenwood dropping back to help out the midfielders close City down. The pattern seems to be set – United will need to be spring-loaded on the counter.
Ronaldo wins a free-kick from a clumsy Gabriel Jesus foul and United have a free-kick from a good position wide on the left. Luke Shaw delivers and Harry Maguire gets up to send a header wide of the target.
City quickly into their customary passing rhythm as they dominate possession in the first few minutes. It takes a tenacious tackle by Fred to get the ball back for United but Cristiano Ronaldo can’t quite keep it under control after getting the pass.
The game’s first chance goes the way of Bernardo Silva, slipping inside from the right channel with Harry Maguire not close enough before firing high and wide on his left foot.
The match has started with City, in home colours of light blue, getting us underway after the taking of the knee. They will attack towards the Stretford End in the first half.
Before kick-off, Old Trafford will fall silent to remember the Fallen in the World Wars with this being United’s last home game before Remembrance Sunday.
There is applause as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Pep Guardiola lay wreathes of poppies on the pitch. A lone bugler plays the Last Post on the touchline.
City, wearing blue and white tracksuit tops, emerge first to the sound of boos and jeers from the majority.
A few seconds later, Harry Maguire leads United out and those jeers turn to loud cheers.
A terrific atmosphere as you would expect. Here are the two teams once more:
Manchester United: De Gea, Lindelof, Bailly, Maguire, Wan Bissaka, Fernandes, McTominay, Fred, Shaw, Greenwood, Ronaldo
Substitutes: Martial, Rashford, Lingard, Dalot, Sancho, Henderson, Alex Telles, Matic, van de Beek
Manchester City: Ederson, Walker, Stones, Dias, Joao Cancelo, Gundogan, Rodri, Bernardo Silva, Gabriel Jesus, De Bruyne, Foden
Substitutes: Ake, Sterling, Grealish, Zinchenko, Steffen, Fernandinho, Mahrez, Carson, Palmer
Referee: Michael Oliver (Northumberland)
The Stretford End chanting ‘bring on United’ as the two sets of players gather in the tunnel ahead of their grand entrance.
The opening strains of ‘This is the One’ by the Stone Roses blare out over the PA system and that means battle is about to commence.
The players have completed their warm-ups and returned to the dressing rooms for final preparations ahead of kick-off.
A noisy atmosphere building around Old Trafford on an overcast afternoon in Manchester.
Pivotal this one for United, who could be level on points with City in the table if they win here. Or they could enter the international fortnight as low as 10th.
The waiting is almost over. Don’t go anywhere.
Kevin De Bruyne warms up
Cole Palmer
Here’s some of the latest odds ahead of kick-off courtesy of Betfair.
Manchester United – 7/2
Draw – 3/1
Manchester City – 3/4
Cristiano Ronaldo to score first – 11/2
Both teams to score – 6/10
These pictures by Sportsmail’s Ian Hodgson at Old Trafford
For around 48 hours in the summer transfer window, Cristiano Ronaldo looked to be on the way to making a sensational move to Manchester City.
Having made his name on the world stage at rivals Manchester United in the 2000s, the Old Trafford faithful were fearful of now having to watch a star who had helped them win three Premier League titles and a Champions League represent the blue half of the city.
But City withdrew their interest after talks with his agent Jorge Mendes and, after conversations with former boss Sir Alex Ferguson, Ronaldo sealed a sensational return to United from Juventus on deadline day.
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The Sky Sports pundits have been discussing whether Man City are light of a genuine centre forward at the moment having missed out on Harry Kane over the summer.
Micah Richards: The way Pep wants to play with high press, Jesus is a striker but he starts on the right as that’s where he wants to start the press from.
‘Ultimately he wants a striker. If you’ve got a striker who can score 20 to 25 goals like Aguero in form then obviously it would help but we know that City want to play on the foot front and if the striker cannot press they don’t get in the team.
‘He did it before at Barca with Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who didn’t fit into his philosophy.
‘The argument would be if he had Erling Haaland in this City team, Ronaldo, Messi they still get 25 or 30 goals a season so I see arguments for both.’
Graeme Souness: ‘If City are looking to dominate European football, if you’re scoring goals anyone benefits with their experience. Goals change games.
‘City need a striker, it’s not a secret. City have a striker in Jesus who I don’t think he sees as the final piece of the jigsaw.
‘He works his socks off, he does the press but he’s not that fox in the box like Aguero was or the likes of Harry Kane in the last few years. If Harry Kane gets 30 goals a year, you’d take him not pressing.’
Pep Guardiola was asked in his pre-match interview why Jack Grealish has been demoted to the bench.
He said: ‘We want left foot on left side and right foot on right side basically that’s the result.’
Chris Wheeler: More than two months have passed since the seismic 48 hours that saw Cristiano Ronaldo flirt with Manchester City before returning home to the welcoming arms of Manchester United.
Could it really have happened? Ronaldo in blue, returning to Old Trafford for the 186th Manchester derby as a City player?
We’ll probably never know. But super-agent Jorge Mendes certainly earned his commission that week, proposing the unthinkable before delivering the incredible.
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The pundits in the Sky Sports studio have been having their say ahead of kick-off and, as ever, former United skipper Roy Keane hasn’t pulled any punches about Solskjaer and his situation.
He said: ‘This United team with Ole has been a massive rollercoaster. You’re coming into this game wondering which United team will turn up.
‘They’ve been open in every game, even games the start of the season they were getting away with it. It’s a huge game, huge for Ole and they’ve got to turn it up.
‘They’ve got to battle for everything and not put in the performance they did couple of weeks ago against Liverpool.
‘City you’d expect to dominate possession, United need to get bodies behind. Can they shut up shop against City? It will be very difficult.’
Manchester City were unable to score in three of their 10 Premier League games this season, matching their final total in 2020-21.
City risk failing to score in back-to-back league fixtures for the first time under Pep Guardiola.
They last drew a blank in consecutive top-flight matches in March 2016, when Manuel Pellegrini’s side were held 0-0 at Norwich then lost 1-0 at home to Manchester United.
Raheem Sterling could make his 300th Premier League appearance – the 26-year-old would become the fourth youngest player to reach the milestone, behind Wayne Rooney, James Milner and Gareth Barry.
Sterling has made a career-high 23 appearances against Manchester United in all competitions but has never scored against them – despite playing 1,662 minutes and attempting 38 shots.
Phil Foden has been directly involved in 14 goals in his past 16 Premier League away matches, scoring 11 and assisting three.
When the Premier League fixtures were released in the summer, no doubt Jadon Sancho’s eye was drawn to the date in early November when he’d face his former club.
Remember, remember, the sixth of November – as the saying almost goes. The day Manchester United would have their derby with Manchester City, the club Sancho left at the age of 17 in pursuit of regular football.
The irony won’t be lost on anyone, least of all City fans, that Sancho isn’t exactly getting that at Old Trafford.
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Manchester United: De Gea, Lindelof, Bailly, Maguire, Wan Bissaka, Fernandes, McTominay, Fred, Shaw, Greenwood, Ronaldo
Substitutes: Martial, Rashford, Lingard, Dalot, Sancho, Henderson, Alex Telles, Matic, van de Beek
Manchester City: Ederson, Walker, Stones, Dias, Joao Cancelo, Gundogan, Rodri, Bernardo Silva, Gabriel Jesus, De Bruyne, Foden
Substitutes: Ake, Sterling, Grealish, Zinchenko, Steffen, Fernandinho, Mahrez, Carson, Palmer
Referee: Michael Oliver (Northumberland)
The main headline from the City side is that Jack Grealish is dropped to the bench, where he’ll sit alongside Raheem Sterling, with a forward line of Phil Foden, Gabriel Jesus and Kevin De Bruyne favoured.
Kyle Walker has also been passed fit to start the match and Kevin De Bruyne returns to the starting XI after being named among the subs for the midweek win over Club Brugge.
Ruben Dias replaces the suspended Aymeric Laporte and Gabriel Jesus keeps his place in attack.
Not too far off what we expected from Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, who sticks with the three-at-the-back system that worked effectively against Tottenham last weekend.
With Raphael Varane out for a few weeks with injury, Eric Bailly and Victor Lindelof join captain Harry Maguire in the back three.
Fred and Scott McTominay will be tasked with putting in the shift in midfield, while Mason Greenwood gets the nod alongside Cristiano Ronaldo in attack with Bruno Fernandes in support.
We will bring you confirmation of the two team line-ups very shortly as we reach an hour until kick-off at Old Trafford.
United are in danger of losing eight league and cup home games in a calendar year for the first time since 1989.
They have failed to keep a clean sheet in any of their past 13 matches at Old Trafford, their longest such run since 1964.
The Red Devils are the only side yet to score a Premier League goal from a set-piece situation this season, excluding penalties.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has won four of his eight meetings with Pep Guardiola, the best ratio of any manager to face the Catalan at least five times.
Cristiano Ronaldo has scored eight goals in 16 appearances against teams managed by Guardiola, which is bettered only by Jamie Vardy’s total of nine.
David de Gea is poised to make his 350th Premier League appearance, which would equal the record for a Spanish player, set by Cesc Fabregas.
Kevin De Bruyne as he arrives at the stadium
City manager Pep Guardiola adjusts his face mask as he steps off the team bus
The above quote was Michael Owen’s assessment of Jack Grealish’s start to life at Manchester City following his £100million move from Aston Villa in the summer.
With just two goals and three assists from his 15 games in a light blue shirt, it is hard to argue against that judgement right now, though it is not for a want of trying on Grealish’s part – or Pep Guardiola’s.
Grealish has played in 15 of City’s 17 matches so far this season, only missing the 2-0 home win over Burnley and an EFL Cup win over Wycombe. He has started all but two of those matches. Worryingly, all six times City have drawn a blank this season Grealish has played, starting five of those.
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Here’s some snaps of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and his players arriving at the stadium just a short time ago.
Cristiano Ronaldo, wearing a face mask and wheeling a suitcase, arrives for the game
Harry Maguire and Scott McTominay of Manchester United arrive
Manchester United are unbeaten in their four most recent league games against Manchester City (W3, D1), their longest such run since a six-match sequence between 2008 and 2011.
Only three of the past 16 Manchester derbies in all competitions have been won by the home team, compared to 10 away victories. The visiting side kept a clean sheet in four of the previous five encounters, including all three meetings last season.
City are chasing an eighth Premier League win away to United, which would be the most by any club. They have won six of their last 10 top-flight matches at Old Trafford (D2, L2).
Early arrivals wearing Ronaldo 7 shirts make their way towards Old Trafford
Here is a snapshot of the top six in the Premier League table ahead of this lunchtime’s action.
Chelsea have a handy early lead over the reigning champions City, who have already lost two games, while Liverpool are still undefeated 10 matches into the season.
United, meanwhile, are fifth but a win would take them level on points with West Ham.
It’s not unusual for the Manchester derby to be a feast or famine affair, either everything happens or you see less action than yet another rained off Test match at Old Trafford.
That alone makes it an unpredictable affair, but given the erratic form of both teams ahead of Saturday lunchtime’s kick off, it’s difficult to pick a winner from Manchester United and their local rivals Manchester City.
Both have wobbled recently. United unforgivably capitulated 5-0 at home to Liverpool a fortnight ago, but then turned up at Tottenham to roll them over 3-0.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side then put up another suspect display mid-week in snatching a stoppage time 2-2 draw in the Champions League at Atalanta and it’s wild form like this that leaves them fifth in the Premier League table and eight points off the summit.
For City, they have fared slightly better sitting third and five points off leaders Chelsea. Yet despite thumping Club Brugge 4-1 midweek in Europe they head into the derby having suffered a shock 2-0 defeat at home by Crystal Palace last weekend.
So who knows what Manchester sides will turn up? But factoring in the certain absentees of the suspended Aymeric Laporte, Paul Pogba and injured Raphael Varane, Sportsmail looks at how a combined XI could line up.
CLICK THE LINK BELOW TO SEE WHO MAKES THE TEAM
We’re already one game down in the weekend’s Premier League action with Southampton inflicting a fifth straight defeat on Aston Villa last night with the pressure mounting on Dean Smith.
To mark your card, here’s the rest of the weekend’s fixtures:
LAST NIGHT
Southampton 1 Aston Villa 0
TODAY
Manchester United vs Manchester City (12.30pm)
Brentford vs Norwich City (3pm)
Chelsea vs Burnley (3pm)
Crystal Palace vs Wolverhampton Wanderers (3pm)
Brighton and Hove Albion vs Newcastle United (5.30pm)
TOMORROW
Arsenal vs Watford (2pm)
Everton vs Tottenham Hotspur (2pm)
Leeds United vs Leicester City (2pm)
West Ham United vs Liverpool (4.30pm)
It is always one of the most hotly-anticipated fixtures of any Premier League season but today’s Manchester derby goes far beyond just local bragging rights.
For United and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, it’s a game they dare not lose. Memories of that 5-0 thrashing by Liverpool a fortnight ago are still raw and a similar humiliation at the hands of another foe could well have seismic repercussions.
United have responded well to that embarrassment. A 3-0 win at Tottenham last Sunday saw them return to their fluent best in attack before more Cristiano Ronaldo magic late on earned them a valuable point away to Atalanta in the Champions League.
It’s a game City can’t afford to lose either. Already five points behind leaders Chelsea in the Premier League title race, that could easily be eight by 5pm today.
Yes, it’s only just into November but that is a considerable margin for Pep Guardiola’s side to make up. The good news is they have a pretty good record at Old Trafford in recent years.
So buckle up for what is sure to be an thralling clash in Manchester.
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This post first appeared on Dailymail.co.uk
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