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EPL: Manchester United hold Manchester City in dour derby

A point gained for Manchester United, but two points dropped for Manchester City?

EPL: Manchester United hold Manchester City in dour derby

Manchester United midfielder Marouane Fellani (C) protests his sending-off as Manchester City striker Sergio Aguero lies on the ground (Photo: AFP)

The 174th Manchester Derby ended in a 0-0 draw as Manchester City were unable to find a way past a dogged Manchester United in their English Premier League tie at the Etihad Stadium on Thursday.

While the derby didn't have any goals, it sparked to life in the closing stage when United midfielder Marouane Fellani had a moment of madness, head butting Sergio Aguero to get himself sent off, leaving the visitors clinging on for dear life.

And Jose Mourinho’s men managed to win a point despite the late setback in a match which the hosts dominated large parts of the tie, having plenty of half-chances but not too many clear-cut ones. 

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Fourth-placed City sent out their strongest XI, with Aguero playing at the tip of a 4-2-3-1 formation with Kevin De Bruyne, Raheem Sterling and Leroy Sane behind him. 
United were without Paul Pogba in midfield and Mourinho started Michael Carrick, Ander Herrera and Fellani in midfield with Marcus Rashford playing as a striker with Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Anthony Martial alongside him.

United had just two chances in the first-half, but arguably both were the closest either side went to scoring, as they sat back and sought to hit City on the counter. First, City keeper Claudio Bravo made a mess of a simple cross, fumbling the ball into Mkhitaryan’s path. The Armenian winger didn't get the cleanest of connections to give the hosts a reprieve. 
And then a minute before half-time, in-form midfielder Herrera was unmarked at the far post from a Rashford free kick but his header was well wide with the goal at his mercy.

City weren't just keeping possession, however, for they could have taken the lead as early as the 10th minute but Aguero could only hit the post from a De Bruyne cross.

Apart from that chance, City didn't really test David De Gea, with the Spaniard comfortably dealing with shots from range as the teams went to the dressing room deadlocked at the interval.

If United were unadventurous in the first period, they withdrew even further in the second, barely getting out of their own half even when they were numerically matched with the hosts. 

Fortunately for them, City didn’t really create any clear-cut chances despite enjoying the lion's share of possession but they really turned on the pressure when Fellani saw red in the 84th minute. Barely seconds ago, he had been booked (incidentally the first yellow of the match) and as as City  quickly restarted play, brought down Aguero with a slight tug. Referee Martin Atkinson was content with letting the Belgian off the hook. Butt his hand was forced when the midfielder walked into Aguero, who made the most of the contact, leaving United with a daunting task of managing a draw. 

City keeper Claudio Bravo had injured his calf in the second-period and his substitution had paused play for a while so with Gabriel Jesus entering the pitch and seven minutes of added-time declared, it looked as the Blue Moon would be rising over Manchester.

However, the double for City never materialised as Mourinho used all three of his substitutions to which made a draw look likelier with each passing second.

With the result, City remain in fourth-place on 64 points, a point behind Liverpool and two ahead of fifth-ranked United. Guardiola’s next travel to relegation-threatened Middlesbrough on Sunday while United host Swansea earlier on the same day.

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