Manchester City made ‘The Theatre Of Dreams’ a house of pain for Manchester United as they brutally demonstrated the gulf between a modern, upwardly mobile club and one in a state of disrepair.
Old Trafford’s leaking roof, the result of a pre-match thunderstorm, was almost symbolic of the current condition of United as City – once airily dismissed as “the noisy neighbours” by Sir Alex Ferguson – brutally emphasised their vast superiority with a punishing performance to take a
measure of control in the Premier League title race.
The facts of the matter are simple.
City’s 2-0 victory margin barely scratches at how much better they were than United. It means they are now a point ahead of second-placed Liverpool and know three wins from their last three games will retain their title.
This was City’s game in hand, identified as potentially their most hazardous assignment.
It was an assessment that leaned on history rather than logic, a judgement based on the United of old rather than this current band of misfits who, in a footballing context, cannot bear any semblance of comparison with Pep Guardiola’s side.
Once the brilliant Bernardo Silva put City ahead in the 54th minute this game was over. Leroy Sane’s goal was simply the confirmation. United looked like they wanted the game to end once when they went behind.
At the final whistle, Old Trafford was awash with vast red spaces created by empty seats while City’s fans celebrated a win of great significance.
The most stark and harrowing aspect of a win Guardiola celebrated after much technical area agonising – crouching, kneeling, imploring, demanding – was the sheer measure of how far apart these two teams, two clubs, are.
Manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer demanded a reaction from United’s players after their 4-0 mauling at Everton on Sunday – he got one of sorts in that it was not as bad as the Goodison Park fiasco, but for him to claim the response was “great” was killing these players with kindness.
It is to be hoped Solskjaer was merely indulging in man-management to keep them going in the hunt for the top four against Chelsea on Sunday because if he seriously believed this was a great reaction it is an act of delusion.
