Manchester City re-established a six-point lead at the top of the Premier League (PL) with a 4-1 victory over fierce rivals Manchester United, completing the league double over their noisy neighbors for the first time since 2018/19. Manchester City was under pressure here, with a tenacious Liverpool chasing them down in the title race. City, on the other hand, was not feeling it, and the blue moon rose within five minutes when Bernardo Silva's perfectly weighted cut-back was rifled home by the on-rushing Kevin De Bruyne, and with City boasting an incredible 20-0 record when scoring first this season, United faced an uphill battle. United, on the other hand, rose to the occasion and leveled the scores midway through the first half. A quick counter ended with Jadon Sancho one-on-one with Kyle Walker, a drop of the shoulder sending him one way before curling a sumptuous effort past Ederson's desperate dive. After David de Gea produced a stunning save to deny Phil Foden, United couldn't clear their lines from the rebound, and De Bruyne hammered home his second of the day to give City a half-time lead. De Bruyne was attempting to become the first City player in over 50 years to score a hat-trick in a Manchester Derby, and he was on the verge of doing so but for a brilliant de Gea save from the Belgian's free-kick. While he did not score the third goal, De Bruyne did play a role in it by finding Riyad Mahrez on the edge of the area, who fired home on the half-volley to effectively put the game out of reach of United. From then on, it was all about control for City, who knocked the ball around with consummate ease and finished off a resounding victory in stoppage time through Mahrez after a lengthy VAR check. It's a potential banana skin for Pep Guardiola, who has lost more home games against Manchester United than any other opponent in his career, as he seeks to mastermind yet another Premier League title success. While United's defeat, combined with Arsenal's victory this afternoon, drops them out of the top four, leaving them with work to do to avoid missing out on Champions League football next season.
