As I woke up at 8:25 on Sunday morning, I wondered whether sacrificing an extra two hours of sleep would be worth the two hours of football I was about to watch. I figured it was too important of a game to miss, but derbies can disappoint with conservative play and poor finishing. After twenty minutes of stalemate, City brought the game to life, and dominated the defending champions for the remaining 70+ minutes. It was shocking more than anything; many, including myself, thought City would at least be able to snatch a point at Old Trafford, but such a resounding win was completely out of the [sky] blue. United had been fortunate all season not to concede more, and they were finally punished by City's five second half goals.
Selection played a huge role in this game. Mancini picked an attacking side, favoring Balotelli to Dzeko, and Milner to Nasri. Balotelli was fantastic, creating space for himself and scoring the first two goals of the game. Milner was a creator in midfield, while dominating United's Fletcher and Anderson throughout the game. Fergie opted for Welbeck over Hernandez in attack and Evans over Jones in central defense. Welbeck was a non-factor, barely seeing the ball and unable to create any chances. A friend of mine (United fan) had hoped Sir Alex would not choose Evans, and his selection turned out to be United's downfall, as he was ineffective in the first half before getting sent off two minutes into the second. SAF was likely choosing experience in this sort of game, but Evans has consistently made errors and cost United goals. His sending off made any chance for a United comeback virtually impossible.
At the end of the day, it's one game, and had City won 1-0, the points would look the same as they do today. However, City must be thrilled about their win, moving five points clear of their rivals while embarrassing their rivals. If anyone doubted City's chances of challenging for the title, all those must be dashed. For United, their luck ran out and the defense was finally exposed for what it is - below average. Their attacking options are among the best in the Premier League, but their defense and midfield must improve if they are to keep up with City. The biggest concern is how United seemed to give up. Conceding three goals beyond 88 minutes shows that they simply stop trying at the end, allowing City to run up the total on them. SAF will surely demand effort for the entire 90 minutes, regardless of the score.
As for the other games in the Premier League, I don't even want to get into the Chelsea game - it was the second-worst refereeing performance I have ever witnessed (after Barcelona). They played extremely well with nine men, which is crazy in the Premier League. QPR has a lot of issues. Arsenal seems to be starting to put it all together while Tottenham continues to surge. I still see Spurs as favorites for fourth. Liverpool again did not convert their chances and continue to lose ground on their rivals. Newcastle are still unbeaten, somehow. If they can keep this up for a few more weeks they will be the shock of the season. Lastly, I'm extremely impressed with Norwich. They give everyone a tough time, win lose or draw. I think they have the spirit, while maybe lacking the talent, to stay up this season.
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