Our reporter Michael Plant gives his thoughts after Manchester United's defeat to Manchester City at Old Trafford.
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00:00 Hello, it's Michael Plant coming to you from Old Trafford after today's Manchester derby,
00:05 of course, between Manchester United and Manchester City.
00:08 And it was the visitors who had an afternoon to remember here on a pretty dismal day for
00:12 United.
00:13 3-0 to Pep Guardiola's side, but that really doesn't tell the whole story.
00:16 It was a performance that actually City thoroughly deserved to come away with, with a 3-0 victory.
00:21 They were so much better than United in all departments.
00:23 It was embarrassing for United in the end, in truth.
00:26 City just toyed with them, knocking the ball around effortlessly against United's side
00:31 who could barely get a touch on the ball.
00:32 Resorted to actually a couple of needless fouls and kick-outs.
00:38 Anthony in particular, when he came on, having a kick-out at Jeremy Doku in the latter stages
00:42 to kind of vent an air of frustration, I suppose, on what was just such a disappointing day
00:46 for Manchester United.
00:47 I said it was 3-0, first half an hour here, it was relatively close.
00:51 United created some good chances.
00:53 They probably still had more of it, but United did at least create a couple of openings,
00:59 but it all changed around the 25th minute when Rasmus Hoyland needlessly grabbed Rodri
01:04 in the box from a corner.
01:05 I think it was a free kick.
01:06 Penalty was awarded.
01:07 Erling Haaland stepped up and scored to give City a 1-0 advantage.
01:11 From there, City didn't look back.
01:12 They were by far the better side from there on.
01:14 As I say, it's just, you know, United have seen this so many times before, but it was
01:19 a game that, from that moment on, you saw the confidence leave the players.
01:24 There was no belief.
01:25 There was no, I suppose, fight from United as well.
01:30 It was just so disappointing from their perspective.
01:32 Came out in the second half and whatever the plan was from Eric Ten Hag, it didn't really
01:37 work within a couple of minutes.
01:39 City had grabbed a second.
01:42 Bernardo Silva crossing in and the back post, Erling Haaland, headed in to make it 2-0.
01:46 That was when it got really embarrassing for United.
01:48 They actually could barely get a touch on the ball.
01:49 United, City finished on 61% possession.
01:52 Sky Sports had the TV on in the background.
01:54 They just kept flashing up all the stats and they were just damning in United's favour.
01:57 They just couldn't get on the ball, couldn't do anything.
01:59 Now, they are playing against the best side in the world, but they've got to carry a bit
02:02 of a threat.
02:03 United are a Champions League team at the end of the day and still can't manage to muster
02:06 up any form of attack or response to City.
02:10 And yeah, it was 3-0 in the end.
02:11 Erling Haaland, well, was shot from Rodri, palmed out by Andre Anana and Erling Haaland
02:17 was out of the top of the cross to a waiting Phil Foden to make it 3-0.
02:20 It was just such a dismal day for United.
02:22 Plenty of complaints from them at the end to the referee.
02:24 I don't even know what about in the end.
02:26 It was just so bad for them.
02:28 They've got to take this really.
02:30 This is just such a poor performance from them and such a poor start.
02:34 I've seen a lot of bad derby defeats for United and it wasn't the worst.
02:37 It wasn't as bad as the 2-0 under Ali, I don't think.
02:41 It wasn't as bad as a couple of ones under Mourinho.
02:45 This is potentially Ten Hag's darkest day as United manager, most difficult day so far.
02:50 And United were making progress last season.
02:53 United were making a step in the right direction, but they have just gone backwards this season.
02:57 It is just so disappointing.
02:59 United have now lost five of the opening ten games.
03:01 I think it's the worst start since '86, '87.
03:03 I think I saw online, I saw a stat today that United have now lost as many Premier League
03:07 games since Alex Ferguson left as under his watch as Man United manager, at home that
03:14 is.
03:15 Just so many stats and so many disappointing aspects from United.
03:18 But I think you can accept a couple of things.
03:19 I think you can accept that you're not at City's level yet from a United perspective.
03:22 I think you can accept that City are better and are going to come here and dominate the
03:25 ball and make lots of chances.
03:29 But you've got to show fight, you've got to show passion and determination and United
03:32 don't show that just too often now in games.
03:34 It's just so common.
03:36 I think Ten Hag's got a lot of questions to ask as well.
03:39 Bizarre response from Ten Hag today in the press conference where he said that he felt
03:42 it was reasons for optimism because they went toe to toe in the first half.
03:46 It's a 90 minute match, you can't just say we did well in the first half, that's okay.
03:50 It's not good enough, this is Manchester United we're talking about.
03:53 It's not good enough at all and pointed to reasons for optimism.
03:56 Bizarrely decided to start Jonny Evans as centre back above Raphael Varane and when
04:00 questioned on the reason why, got actually quite firm with the reporter because he had
04:05 already explained it but I didn't understand it.
04:07 I don't think a lot of reporters understood it in the room and he basically went for the
04:10 answer to that and there was a bit of confusion and he answered it again but basically the
04:13 reason seemed to be that he felt that Evans was more capable of playing out on the left
04:18 hand side as centre back than Varane.
04:19 It doesn't make much sense to me if I'm totally honest.
04:21 Maybe it was a bit of a language breakdown that he couldn't explain it more but I didn't
04:25 understand it.
04:26 Yeah, really strange from him.
04:28 He actually said United are on the way up.
04:29 No one coming away from today's game thinks Man United are on the way up.
04:32 Very much so when you consider the last time the City came here in the league, they lost
04:37 2-1.
04:38 United were on the back of such a good run of form and just bizarre.
04:44 Just really really strange comment from Ten Hag.
04:46 I mean I suppose we should talk a little bit about Man City because they really were excellent
04:49 actually.
04:50 That was maybe their best performance of the season.
04:52 I'm struggling to think off the top of my head.
04:53 I was more on United watch today than City but they were really good.
04:57 Bernardo Silva was excellent.
04:58 Pep Guardiola said after the game he's one of the best players he's ever worked with.
05:01 I mean that is some serious praise from Guardiola when you consider some of the players he has
05:06 worked with.
05:07 So very high praise from him.
05:08 Jack Grealish was excellent on the left as well.
05:09 A lot of questions about Grealish.
05:10 He had a bit of a slow start to the season but when you think about Doku and the way
05:13 that Doku plays, he's so erratic and kind of runs at players.
05:16 Loses the ball a lot.
05:17 Jack Grealish is just unbelievable in keeping the ball.
05:20 Created so many chances today, so many crosses.
05:21 He's never going to be a great scorer of goals I don't think, Jack Grealish.
05:24 But created so many opportunities for City today and really helped lead to their dominance
05:29 and I think Roger Hisswell.
05:31 He just does everything.
05:32 Just does everything you'd want of him.
05:34 He gets forward.
05:35 I mean he had a hand in two of the goals today.
05:36 He won the penalty and had a shot that resulted in City's third goal.
05:40 He controls the tempo.
05:41 Anytime United get on the ball, he comes in and wins tackles.
05:44 So yeah, a really good day for City but as I mentioned, certainly not the case for United.
05:49 Yeah, just lots of questions to ask.
05:52 One other thing to just mention quickly on United.
05:54 It's tough enough we're about to take off at half time for the second game in a row.
05:56 I think ten hard games.
05:57 He's got his team's selection wrong as well today.
06:00 So many questions and I do think that the fallout from this.
06:02 There'll be a lot of talk about it.
06:04 Yeah, well we'll certainly be reacting over the next couple of days on Manchester World
06:08 but make sure to check out the website because plenty of reaction coming from today's game
06:12 in terms of player ratings from both teams.
06:14 Bit of pundit reaction and what both managers have had to say after the game.
06:17 But from me, Michael Bland at Old Trafford, thank you.