3 takeaways as wasteful City fails to breach 10-man United in derby

The two halves of Manchester played out a mostly steady goalless draw at the Etihad Stadium on Thursday, but it could have seismic implications when the top four is decided at the end of the season.

The match did erupt near the end, as Marouane Fellaini, just when he seemed to be gradually ingratiating himself with the United support, hacked Sergio Aguero. Then, further down the park and around 10 seconds later, he lowered his head into City's Argentinian forward for a straight red.

It was idiocy of the highest degree, and encouraged the introduction of Gabriel Jesus as the home side pursued a late winner. It almost paid dividends but, in a "Groundhog Day" moment from January's 2-2 draw with Tottenham Hotspur, the precocious Brazilian had a goal disallowed for offside.

Here are three takeaways from the rare evening bout between the two great rivals of the old Cottonopolis:

Aguero flails as Jesus is resurrected

Manchester City piled 19 shots in the direction of David De Gea's goal, and nine of those came from Aguero alone.

The club icon entered United's visit having scored in each of his last six matches; he'd also found the onion bag 12 times in 12 games, so he wasn't off the boil. Profligacy in front of goal in a Manchester derby and in front of a fit-again Jesus was bad timing, though, and it wouldn't be surprising if the nation's tabloids were again filled with speculation of a summer departure for Aguero.

Still, Pep Guardiola won't criticise his team, with Aguero not the only player guilty of wastefulness in attack.

That's because his philosophy is slowly being taken on by his charges - as 69.2 percent possession, all the shots, and control of the midfield testifies. It's just taking time to adapt to Guardiola's designs. The team's remaining objective is to stay in the top four, so this is the last opportunity for some players to impress, because there will be changes.

Aguero will hope he's not involved in the inevitable end-of-season clearout.

Give Carrick a new deal, or spend big

At 35 years of age, Michael Carrick is still a vital component of Jose Mourinho's plans. He has the knack of nipping in with key interceptions and patient tackles, and then picking a simple yet correct pass to a teammate. He's also the metronome since Mourinho decided to shake up his previously phlegmatic 4-2-3-1 formation.

It's simple stuff, but an unlikely admirer of the 34-time England international was revealed in the leadup to the match.

"He's one of the best holding midfielders I've ever seen in my life, by far," Guardiola told reporters Wednesday.

Not bad praise from a man who's handled Sergio Busquets, Xabi Alonso, and was a accomplished deep-lying midfielder himself. If Carrick is released by Manchester United at the end of the season, someone should snaffle up the admittedly slowing veteran at the first opportunity.

Watching Carrick and Yaya Toure in the middle of the park was a sluggish subplot in itself in the derby - like watching two frustrated, non-dominant male giant tortoises map out the angles and measure the effort required to execute the arduous and ultimately unsuccessful task of mating.

Both United and City need to decide whether to stick or twist with this pair, though, as each player has been an unsung hero over chunks of the 2016-17 campaign. Carrick and Toure are only tied to their respective clubs until June, but for now continue to be key either side of the Manchester divide.

A home draw that works for City

All the possession and the shots had City fans pondering what could have been on their way through City Square and down Joe Mercer Way. It was a match Guardiola's lot should've won, but the noisy neighbour is still in fine fettle to finish in the best quartet.

There are just five matches of the campaign remaining, and there's no doubting that City's is the more appetising slate:

United's biggest hope may be that Arsenal's revival is short-lived and Liverpool's struggles endure. Otherwise, its league-high 13 draws will condemn the club to another hectic and unwanted schedule in the Europa League.

(Photos courtesy: Action Images)