Kevin De Bruyne and Riyad Mahrez scored two goals each, as Manchester City beat Manchester United by four goals to one in the Manchester derby in the English Premier League.
Jadon Sancho scored the goal of the Red Devils in a beautiful way when Manchester City were ahead with a goal free of charge.
Legendary former United goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel was shocked by the result, saying: “Many players in the squad are below par or not packing enough.”
City completely outperformed United, as City goalkeeper Ederson saved only one ball, and coach Ralph Ranik’s team almost lost with a greater result, as Phil Foden hit the post in one of the opportunities, in the meeting that witnessed many chances for Pep Guardiola’s team.
Peter Schmeichel, who also played for Manchester City, said during his analysis of BBC Radio 5: “I thought Ranik would change a lot of things during the half-time, maybe he gave the players instructions, but the performance in the second half was worse. Man United did not Only present on the scoreboard.
And Schmeichel continued: “Many players are either not good enough, or they don’t care enough. Having a temporary coach means that he can’t do much, he knows he won’t continue with the team, so what can change him?”
He also said: “Manchester City was majestic, on the other hand, the United players did not work hard, and this result will hurt them a lot.”
‘They should never play for Manchester United once more’
On Sky, the criticism of former Manchester United players Roy Keane and Gary Neville went further, with Kane saying: “Manchester United gave up in the derby, and that’s something we can’t forgive the players for. I can forgive mistakes, but not coming back in The pitch to defend and not to try to get the ball back, there are players who do not deserve to play for Manchester United once more.”
And he added: “We have all lost football matches, but it’s regarding the way you lose, you expect these players to play even with a little bit of pride, but this reflects the position of the team at the moment.”
Kane continued his criticism, saying: “If you are not able to run to help the defense, and risk your body while playing for United, it is a shame.”
He also accused Fred, the midfielder, before De Bruini scored the second goal, of appearing as “a person waiting for a bus instead of trying to get the ball.”
He continued, “Who runs the team’s dressing room? These players seem more interested in their appearance, how their hair or shoes will look. When you play for Manchester United, you leave your self-esteem in front of the club’s gate.”
‘We have a long way to go to narrow the gap’
During the Manchester derby, the Red Devils did not hit the Sky Blue goal during the second half, and they are now in fifth place, a point behind Arsenal, who are fourth, and have played three games more than the Gunners.
Gary Neville focused most of his criticism on how United finished the match, describing the last 25 minutes of the match as a “scandal”.
Neville said: “City reached 92 percent possession following scoring the third goal, which is unprecedented, I’ve never heard of it and these players can’t be forgiven for this. The dressing room is not swamped, but it is close to it, and you see what it looks like when The opponent is strong, a lot of players get lost.”
BBC critic Chris Sutton said United had been “embarrassed” by City rivals.
The team has not won under the leadership of German Ranik only in eight of the 18 matches, and he succeeded Ole Gunnar Solskjaer as interim coach and it is expected that the club’s management will appoint a permanent coach for the team next summer.
“It was a difficult match and it showed that we had a long way to go in order to reduce the gap to enter the semi-finals,” Ranik said. “Everyone knows how strong the Citizens are, as they are one of the strongest teams in the world, and there is a difference between the two clubs.”
Liverpool are now six points behind City, and former Reds midfielder Jimmy Redknapp suggested his old team would be angry at what he saw as United’s lack of a fight.
“Manchester City built a team and thought regarding the players who might make it happen, but United spent money on their players in the hope that they would find a strong team, and this proved to be a failure,” says Sutton.
“It takes time and the right culture but at the moment United are a million miles away. If I were Jurgen Klopp and watching the game I would be angry. United didn’t even try, there was no idea, no structure.”
“One of the highest levels we’ve played”
Meanwhile, Manchester City coach Pep Guardiola said: “In the second half we played one of the highest levels we’ve had in years. I’m not from Manchester, but I know what winning the derby means for our fans. We should have scored more goals.”
He also admitted that United caused problems for his team in the first half.
“Ralph’s mentality was very aggressive, without Cristiano they can press hard, and we struggled to compensate for that. In the first half we had more chances on the counter-attack,” he said.
The Spanish coach continued, “In the second half, Bernardo Silva was more involved, the movement from everyone was excellent and we played really well. The decision-making during the match was good and that’s why we won the match.”
Algerian international Riyad Mahrez, who scored twice, told the BBC: “We completely controlled the second half. When we are like this it is difficult to beat us, we have confidence in our football, but we take it one game at a time.”