Man Utd player ratings vs Man City: Michael Carrick has cracked it! Bryan Mbeumo and Patrick Dorgu deliver derby delight as fantastic Bruno Fernandes shines in dominant victory

Bryan Mbeumo and Bruno Fernandes starred as Manchester United pulled off a wholly unexpected 2-0 win over Manchester City in a euphoric return to the Red Devils' dugout for Michael Carrick. United made a blistering start and scored two offside goals in a convincing first half. After the break, they continued where they left off and deservedly won the game thanks to strikes from Mbeumo and Patrick Dorgu.

Carrick had said a day earlier that there was magic around Old Trafford if you looked close enough, and his side certainly conjured it. Casemiro dominated the middle of the park while Rodri floundered as United pressed City to oblivion. Amad Diallo and Fernandes both put the ball in the net but were denied by the offside flag while an outstanding Gianluigi Donnarumma also did his part to keep the scores level.

But after pulling off a big save to thwart Casemiro, the City goalkeeper had no answer when Fernandes came steaming through the middle of the pitch and played in Mbeumo. The Cameroon international has been absent for a month at the Africa Cup of Nations but made a emphatic return for his club by firing United ahead.

Dorgu made sure of United's first home win over City since January 2023, capitalising on soft defending from Rico Lewis to slide in and turn in a cross from Matheus Cunha. United then thought they had scored a third goal when Mason Mount tapped in another cross from Cunha, but it was ruled out by VAR, though that did nothing to deflate the ecstatic mood around the Theatre of Dreams.

GOAL rates United's players from Old Trafford...

Goalkeeper & Defence

Senne Lammens (6/10):

Touched a Doku shot out for a corner that was going wide anyway. That corner led to City's best first-half chance but he was able to combine with Dalot to keep out Alleyne's header.

Diogo Dalot (5/10):

A typical blend of high energy and erratic moments. Disrupted a promising move with bungled a pass to Amad, later sending a ball across the box just beyond the reach of Dorgu. Booked for a rash foul on Doku which could have been a red card, before making a clean slide tackle on the Belgian.

Harry Maguire (7/10):

Brought some much-needed order to the defence in his first start in over two months. Kept Haaland quiet, won every aerial duel and lifted the crowd with a marauding run forward. If we're being critical, he should have done better with his close-range header which hit the bar.

Lisandro Martinez (7/10):

Reacted quickly to slide in and block Haaland as he was about to pounce. Fuelled United's breaks with his searching long passes.

Luke Shaw (6/10):

Coped pretty well with the threat of Semenyo and wasn't afraid to get stuck in on Haaland or Rodri, earning a booking for his foul on the latter.

Midfield

Kobbie Mainoo (7/10):

A delightful return to form in his first Premier League start of the season. Had the courage to take on City players, play risky passes and wasn't afraid to do the dirty work either.

Casemiro (8/10):

A big display from a big-game player. Repeatedly broke up the play before cleverly distributing the ball. Should have scored his one-v-one with Donnarumma but he got a massive reception when he left the pitch, which was fully deserved.

Bruno Fernandes (8/10):

Set the tone with a hard-working and classy display. The engine behind all of United's best moves, and of course it was him who galloped upfield to play in Mbeumo.

Attack

Amad Diallo (8/10):

Tormented Ake in the first half then O'Reilly in the second. His pace meant City played on the edge and he was a constant thorn in their side, even though he lacked a bit of luck with the offside flag.

Bryan Mbeumo (7/10):

Thrived as the surprise central striker, getting at City from the off. Had an interesting battle with Alleyne but fired in the all-important first goal.

Patrick Dorgu (7/10):

Another strong performance from the Dane in an attacking role, this time on his natural left side. Stretched City with his positive runs and was rewarded by scoring the second.

Subs & Manager

Matheus Cunha (7/10):

Had something to prove after being benched and did so with his assist.

Manuel Ugarte (N/A):

Took the baton from Casemiro well and play on the front foot for his 10 minutes on the pitch.

Ayden Heaven (N/A):

Brought on in added time.

Mason Mount (N/A):

Thought he had tapped in the third goal but it was ruled out.

Michael Carrick (8/10):

Couldn't have asked for a better return to the Old Trafford dugout. Picked a bold starting XI by dropping Cunha and Sesko and it came off perfectly as United carefully targetted City with expert pressing while every player ran themselves into the ground.