Manchester United poured on the distress for flagging Premier League champions Manchester Metropolis as late targets by Bruno Fernandes and Amad Diallo snatched an unlikely 2-1 away victory from the jaws of defeat on Sunday.
Ruben Amorim’s first Manchester derby seemed like ending in a 3rd successive league defeat after Josko Gvardiol’s header put Metropolis forward however Ivory Coast teenager Diallo tuned the sport on its head in gorgeous trend.
Diallo was fouled by Metropolis’s Matheus Nunes after latching onto a dreadful again go by the identical participant with Fernandes stroking residence the penalty within the 88th minute.
Metropolis had hardly acquired over that shock when seconds later it grew to become the “Diallo Derby” as he despatched the visiting followers into delirium with an excellent end from the tightest of angles.
What was initially a worrying stoop in kind by champions Metropolis has now snowballed right into a full-on nightmare earlier than Christmas for Pep Guardiola’s aspect as they’ve now misplaced eight of their final 11 video games in all competitions, successful one.
They keep fifth within the desk with 27 factors from 16 video games, 9 factors behind leaders Liverpool having performed a recreation extra.
United stay within the backside half with 22 factors however will hope their smash-and-grab raid at The Etihad Stadium will spark a transfer up the desk through the festive interval.
Fernandes breathed a sigh of aid after the sport, having missed a gilt-edged probability to equalise shortly earlier than Diallo lit the touch-paper for United’s gorgeous win.
“He is been doing effectively, he is been doing nice issues, I feel there’s nonetheless quite a bit to come back from him … When he is like this, he is unstoppable,” the Portuguese midfielder mentioned.
Metropolis didn’t even muster a shot on course within the second half as they seemed barely recognisable from the aspect that has gained 4 successive Premier League crowns.
Midfielder Bernardo Silva made no try and sugar-coat a gut-wrenching loss.
“We completely deserved what occurred,” he instructed Sky Sports activities. “In minute 87 in a derby and you might be successful 1-0 and have a nook and the ball finally ends up as a penalty for them, if you happen to make these silly selections you need to pay for that.”
Neither aspect began the sport brimming with any fluency after bleak current outcomes and United didn’t have a shot on course earlier than the interval.
Amorim flexed his muscle tissues forward of kick-off, leaving Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho out of his matchday squad and he was then pressured to make an early change as Mason Mount hobbled off after 14 minutes to get replaced by Kobbie Mainoo.
It took 20 minutes for Metropolis to muster a shot at aim as Phil Foden’s half-volley went large whereas on the different finish Diallo struck the publish with a shot however was offside anyway.
Metropolis’s followers have been turning into stressed however the pressure lifted across the stadium within the thirty sixth minute when, from a brief nook, De Bruyne’s cross was deflected and dropped invitingly for Gvardiol to information a header previous André Onana.
It was the eighth aim United have conceded from a nook this season, a determine solely topped by Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Tempers boiled over quickly afterwards as Metropolis’s Kyle Walker and Rasmus Højlund got here collectively like two rutting stags and Walker fell theatrically to the bottom, incomes each gamers yellow playing cards after a melee involving a number of extra.
Højlund later posted on Instagram: “Manchester is pink Violets are blue What an excellent efficiency However the Oscar goes to…”
Metropolis have been surprisingly subdued after the break however nonetheless seemed like taking the factors, particularly after Fernandes dinked a golden probability large after being performed by way of.
However Metropolis’s world collapsed round them when Nunes’s horrible again go was seized upon by Diallo and Nunes desperately tried to make amends however merely hacked Diallo down.
Fernandes tucked away the penalty however worse was nonetheless to come back for the hosts as Diallo sprinted by way of, cleverly dinked the ball round goalkeeper Éderson after which noticed his shot dissect two overlaying defenders earlier than nestling within the web.
“The second half, we pressed good, we needed to win, that is the derby … we confirmed at the moment we will win each recreation and we’re very glad to win at the moment,” mentioned Diallo. “I wish to thank God for this. Let’s take pleasure in it for at the moment and deal with the subsequent recreation.”