McTominay: Derby gameplan was a winner
Scott McTominay says Manchester United’s blistering match-winning start in the derby came right off manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s tactical board.
In the lead up to the Etihad showdown, Solskjaer and his management team set a plan to face Manchester City, and with two goals from Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial before the half-hour mark, the Reds laid the foundation for a monumental win.
“Going into the game we knew exactly how we wanted to play and that first 30 minutes epitomised everything we spoke about in the meetings in the build up to the game. It’s just nice to have one pay off,” midfielder McTominay told Sky Sports.
“It was always going to be difficult. They’re a top team with some world-class players in there and you have got to deal with them, but I thought in the first 30 minutes, in particular, we were frightening on the break.
“It gives you the platform to go and attack the game as well. We were good on the ball and we withstood some tremendous pressure in the second half as well which will stand us in good stead for the games to come.
“We’ve had so many games where we’ve just fallen short and we’ve been unfortunate with some results, but that shows you’ve just got to keep working hard as well.
“It was tough. When you’re withstanding a lot of pressure it’s difficult, especially against some good players as we were. The way they play, they like to manipulate the ball and move it side to side.
“It’s always difficult but it was a sweet one, especially in front of our fans. Beautiful scenes.”
After successive Premier League draws against Sheffield United and Aston Villa, the last four days on the Reds' calendar were flagged up as potentially vital fixtures.
But last Wednesday's 2-1 Old Trafford win against Tottenham Hotspur, and now the derby win on City’s patch means that United are buoyant.
“It was a big week for us. We spoke about that in the build up to it with difficult games. It just tops it off. Hopefully we can take our results from the last two games and take it forward. We’re improving and it’s a joy to watch.”
Reading this in our app? If not, you might miss some exclusive features not found on ManUtd.com. Download the Official App here.