Skip to content

Anatomy of a Goal: Manchester City made plenty of stupid mistakes vs. United

Reuters

Manchester City's appalling run of form continued Sunday with an emphatic 4-2 humbling at the hands of rivals Manchester United, leaving the Citizens looking behind them out of fear for their increasingly uncertain Champions League place.

City conceded four straight goals after taking an early lead through Sergio Aguero, though with a little more concentration, at least three of those markers very easily could have been avoided. Instead, a team comprised of the world's priciest talent made mistakes you would expect to see at your typical Sunday beer league.

Here's a look at how last season's Premier League champions gift-wrapped three goals for their bitter city counterparts on Sunday.

Note: All photos courtesy of TSN

Marouane Fellaini (United 2, City 1)

Manchester United's go-ahead goal on the day featured one of their most consistent tactics coming to beautiful fruition. Marouane Fellaini, whom Louis van Gaal continues to deploy in this weirdly effective half-midfielder, half-target man role behind Wayne Rooney, drifted out to the back post, isolating himself against Gael Clichy.

When Ashley Young, who combined well - again - with Daley Blind down the left flank, found some space at the edge of the penalty area, there was only one place he was going to loft his cross. Fellaini was primed and ready.

The afro-clad Belgian is 6-foot-4. Clichy is 5-foot-9. The latter didn't stand a chance. That said, Clichy's greatest mistake wasn't that he found himself one-on-one against someone whose aerial expertise rivals Lionel Messi's dribbling prowess. United clearly made a point to isolate Fellaini against Clichy and his fellow fullback Pablo Zabaleta, and it worked.

Arsene Wenger is a snake oil salesman.

Juan Mata (United 3, City 1)

If Fellaini's marker was an example of a team executing a pre-match plan, the third goal - which effectively ended this as a contest - was an example of an attack-minded player missing a defensive assignment.

City would have been in relatively good shape when Martin Demichelis stepped up to cut out a pass from Blind into Fellaini, had there been some sort of support in behind him.

When Fellaini sticks one of his giant legs out and pokes the ball free to Blind, Juan Mata immediately bursts into the acre of space afforded by Demichelis's decision to vacate his position. Yaya Toure, for some inexplicable reason, watches as the tiny Spaniard pumps his little legs past him, opting not to chase him but instead remain rooted to his spot.

Perhaps there was quicksand on the pitch at Old Trafford. But it's more likely that the Ivorian, known not for his defensive capabilities, just missed an assignment that a more conservative midfielder playing in that double pivot would have recognized. But the former absolves him of blame, so let's go with that.

When Wayne Rooney receives the pass, Eliaquim Mangala is put in a hopeless two-on-one situation. Jump to cut out a pass to Mata, and Rooney turns and runs on goal. Attack the ball, and Rooney, as he did, lays it into the path of the diminutive Spaniard.

Toure, meanwhile, is already well out of the play by this point.

Game over for the Citizens.

Chris Smalling (United 4, City 1)

Mangala gets a free pass for the sequence of events directly above. United's fourth - and final - goal, however, was almost entirely on his broad, muscular shoulders. 

The Red Devils used a common free-kick tactic that sees one man stand in an offside position prior to the set piece being taken. In this instance, it was Michael Carrick.

Instead of leaving the Englishman well offside, the big-money summer signing inexplicably jumps down to cover him, thus putting what was pretty clearly an intentional high line at the top of the box into disarray. Look how far removed from the rest of the line Mangala is as he stands behind Carrick, keeping no less than four United players onside.

One of them just happened to be Chris Smalling, who rose uncontested to get onto the end of Ashley Young's cross, heading it beyond Joe Hart and adding a humiliation factor to the scoreline.

Manchester City did some wonderful things in attack, with their opening goal in particular a thing of beauty. Their defending, on the other hand, was not only repugnant, it was entirely amateur. 

Mistakes inspired by great play from the opposition can be accepted - albeit begrudgingly. But mistakes like these are the reason Manuel Pellegrini looks like he hasn't slept in months.

Daily Newsletter

Get the latest trending sports news daily in your inbox