Michael Carrick's first game as Manchester United's new head coach ended in a sensational derby victory over rivals City at Old Trafford on Saturday.
Second-half goals from Bryan Mbeumo and Patrick Chinazaekpere Dorgu gave the Reds - who had three goals ruled out for marginal offside decisions - a thoroughly deserved win which moved us temporarily up to fifth in the Premier League.
A first three points of 2026 gave our former midfielder a dream start at the helm and saw United avenge the 3-0 defeat suffered at the Etihad Stadium in September’s reverse fixture.
Carras made five changes from the team that faced Brighton & Hove Albion last Sunday in the Emirates FA Cup. Amad and Mbeumo went straight into the line-up after returning from the Africa Cup of Nations this week, while Harry Maguire made his first start since 8 November after recovering from a hamstring injury. There were recalls for Luke Shaw and Casemiro, but Shea Lacey missed out through suspension following his red card last time out.
Meanwhile, Pep Guardiola made three alterations from the midweek Carabao Cup semi-final first-leg victory at Newcastle. Gianluigi Donnarumma returned in goal in place of James Trafford, while Rico Lewis and Rodri came in for Matheus Nunes and Nico O’Reilly. Antoine Semenyo made his Premier League debut for the club following his transfer from Bournemouth.
FIRST HALF - REDS HAVE TWO GOALS DISALLOWED IN PROMISING OPENING
Fittingly staged on the first anniversary of Denis Law’s passing, the 198th instalment of our rivalry with neighbours City began at a frenetic tempo against the backdrop of an electric atmosphere in M16. Maguire was inches away from giving us the dream start inside the third minute, when his close-range header from a Bruno Fernandes corner was unfortunate to come back off the crossbar.
The Reds’ positive start continued as Kobbie Mainoo - who scored the eventual winner against City in the 2024 Emirates FA Cup final - brought a routine save from Donnarumma with a low shot after Amad’s cross was poked away by young City defender Max Alleyne. At the other end, Semenyo’s floated cross from the right found Bernardo Silva, but the City captain could only direct his header from 10 yards into the Stretford End.
United’s application and intensity could not be questioned, although both full-backs Diogo Dalot and Shaw received yellow cards in the opening 20 minutes from referee Anthony Taylor - taking charge of his sixth Manchester derby - for challenges on Jeremy Doku and Rodri respectively. The referee’s call of yellow card to Dalot for a reckless challenge was checked and confirmed by the Video Assistant Referee, Craig Pawson, with the contact deemed to be glancing and not with excessive force.
The openings kept coming as Fernandes picked out Dorgu, who controlled the ball and saw his angled shot clawed away by Donnarumma, before Mbeumo was tackled by Abdukodir Khusanov just as he was about to get a shot away after Fernandes pounced on some slack play by Rodri.
The Reds thought the breakthrough had arrived when Amad went around the City goalkeeper and slotted home, but the flag of assistant referee Gary Beswick halted the celebrations as our no.16 was marginally offside from Fernandes’s forward pass. Meanwhile, as City enjoyed a strong spell, Senne Lammens was called into action for the first time to superbly claw away Alleyne’s header from a corner, which the Belgian had conceded, and Semenyo curled wide from the edge of the area.
United had the ball in the net for a second time but again it was ruled out for a tight offside as Fernandes, played in behind by an exquisite Lisandro Martinez ball, was adjudged to be ahead of Nathan Ake by a toe’s width before rounding the keeper, evading a sliding challenge and coolly slotting home, as the Reds had to settle for heading to the dressing room level at the break.
SECOND HALF - MBEUMO AND DORGU GIVE REDS DERBY-DAY DELIGHT
After a special pitchside presentation during the interval to honour Ella Toone’s MBE, the action resumed with City having made a double change, as Rayan Cherki and Nico O’Reilly replaced Phil Foden and Alleyne.
Within 45 seconds, Dalot flashed a low cross across the face of goal which no red shirt could make a connection with, as United started on the front foot. At the other end, Martinez made a superb intervention to block Haaland’s shot on the turn, after the Norwegian was slipped in by Semenyo when the Reds gave away possession.
Encouraged by the vociferous Reds faithful, United continued to threaten as Amad cut inside and forced a save from Donnarumma, who then denied Casemiro’s scooped follow-up attempt with his boot before the ball rebounded off our no.18 and behind for a goal-kick.
The chances continued to come the Reds’ way as Mbeumo’s half-volley inside the box from a Fernandes cross was somehow kept out by Donnarumma, but the Italian could not prevent our no.19 from opening the scoring in the 65th minute. After Maguire headed away a City free-kick, Mbeumo started the breakaway and, after exchanging passes with Fernandes, slotted calmly into the bottom corner and sparked delirium inside the Theatre of Dreams with his eighth goal of the campaign.
As Carrick’s name rang around the stadium, Amad dragged a low shot wide as confidence flooded through the veins of the resurgent Reds, who introduced Matheus Cunha for goalscorer Mbeumo to lead the line for the final 20 minutes.
Cunha was involved as the Reds doubled our advantage in the 76th minute, getting the better of O’Reilly down the right before delivering an inch-perfect cross for Dorgu to get in front of Lewis and cushion the ball into the City net to score his second goal for the club.
Moments after Amad hit the post after racing away from the City defence, substitute Mason Mount thought he had made an instant impact from the bench by stroking home Cunha’s square pass but, following a lengthy and frustrating VAR review, the Reds had a third goal ruled out as Cunha was adjudged to be fractionally offside in the build-up when latching onto Amad’s pass.
The Reds, as we did all afternoon, defended superbly and managed the closing stages to keep City at bay and see out a well-earned third clean sheet of the campaign as Carras enjoyed the perfect start to his reign as head coach by securing the bragging rights on derby day, and so much more besides.
MATCH DETAILS
United: Lammens; Dalot, Maguire, Martinez, Shaw (Heaven 90+1); Casemiro (Ugarte 81), Mainoo; Amad, Fernandes (c) (Mount 90+1), Dorgu; Mbeumo (Cunha 71).
Unused substitutes: Bayindir, Malacia, Yoro, J. Fletcher, Sesko.
Booked: Dalot, Shaw.
Goals: Mbeumo 65, Dorgu 76.
City: Donnarumma; Lewis, Khusanov, Alleyne (O’Reilly 46), Ake; Rodri; Semenyo, Foden (Cherki 46), Bernardo Silva (c) (Reijnders 80), Doku (Ait-Nouri 80); Haaland (Mukasa 80).
Unused substitutes: Trafford, Bettinelli, Mfuni, McAidoo.
Booked: Rodri, O’Reilly, Lewis.
Attendance: 74,004.