When it comes to praising opposition players – even those wearing the red of Manchester United – Man City boss Pep Guardiola is never shy in coming forward.
Even amid the disappointment at losing last season’s FA Cup final, Guardiola found the time to call Lisandro Martinez on of the world’s ‘top five’ centre-halves.
There was also the time, before Man City recovered from Marcus Rashford’s barnstorming opener to win 3-1 at the Etihad in the spring, that the Spaniard gushed over the boundless creativity of Bruno Fernandes.
The Manchester United captain, he said, is ‘one of the best I’ve ever seen‘ when it comes to carving open opposition backlines.
This time, Fernandes made up only 33 per cent of Guardiola’s praise. Denied truly special goal by the offside flag, the Portugal playmaker helped wrestle the tide back in Man United’s favour during the third Wembley meeting between the two rivals across the last 15 months.
With Fernandes pulling the strings from his false nine role, Rashford and the electrifying Alejandro Garnacho were given the freedom to dart in behind and put their formidable pace to good use.
A relationship that should only improve once Joshua Zirkzee is leading the line.
Man City defeat Manchester United on penalties at Wembley
Guardiola admits that his Man City side struggled to cope with United’s rapid-fire counters. Only the post denied Rashford before Garnacho followed up his FA Cup opener with a fine solo effort back at the national stadium.
“We lost a lot of balls and, in transition, they are one of the best teams in the world,” Guardiola told ITV Sport at full-time. “With Rashford, with Garnacho at the end, with the connection with especially Bruno.
“They are so dangerous to control. But, in the end, we had a good action to equalise. And, in the penalties, we did it.”
Despite Andre Onana’s best efforts – denying Bernardo Silva to further enhance his reputation as something of a ‘penalty killer’ – Wembley turned a shade of sky blue as Jadon Sancho and Jonny Evans missed from 12 yards.
Still, there was more than enough to warm the cockles of Erik ten Hag and the travelling red-clad support.
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Compare this performance with last year’s curtain raiser – that dismal 1-0 win over Wolves – and it was night and day.
Man United played with a fluidity, a confidence and a threat that they lacked throughout much of 2023/24, and should only improve once Leny Yoro and Zirkzee are joined by the incoming Matthijs de Ligt and Noussair Mazraoui.
It is no stretch to suggest that United should have been two or three goals to the good before Bernardo Silva’s late equaliser. While Rashford missed twice, Mason Mount and Scott McTominay also came agonisingly close to a tap-in apiece.
“We are disappointed. We have to feel the pain and everyone does. But also I see some positives. We performed well and could have won this game,” Ten Hag said, and not without justification.
“We were twice leading in the game. Then, on penalties we lost. It is just disappointing that we couldn’t bring it over the line.”
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