Manchester United had an extra man for 67 minutes and made 1.00 xG. Manchester City won with a goal the referees later admitted should have been checked.
The numbers
| Manchester United | Manchester City | |
|---|---|---|
| Possession | 54.7% | 45.3% |
| Shots | 16 | 6 |
| On target | 3 | 2 |
| xG | 1 | 1.1 |
| Corners | 6 | 7 |
| Pass accuracy | 86.9% | 82.3% |
Result the chances deserved: Manchester United 32% / 30% / Manchester City 38% (Poisson).
Starting line-ups
Manchester United (4-2-3-1): Lammens, Dalot, Maguire, Martínez, Dorgu, Tielemans, Mainoo, Mbeumo, Fernandes, Rashford, Cunha.
Manchester City (4-1-4-1): Donnarumma, Nunes, Guéhi, Dias, Gvardiol, Anderson, Foden, Cherki, Fernández, Semenyo, Haaland.
City subs: Ndiaye (46', Cherki), O'Reilly (82', Enzo Fernández). Red card: Foden (23', violent conduct). City head coach: Enzo Maresca. Line-ups and shapes from FotMob; SI listed City as a 4-2-3-1 with Foden deeper. Coaches' Voice has United playing without a fixed striker, with Cunha and Fernandes as attacking midfielders once City went down to ten.
Key moments, move by move
- Donnarumma goes long and substitute Ndiaye wins the second ball (Coaches' Voice).
- The ball goes out to Gvardiol, who crosses from the left edge of the box.
- The cross is deflected off a United defender (SI names Dorgu). Enzo Fernández, standing in an offside position, dives at it and misses.
- Haaland, unmarked at the back post, taps in. The flag goes up, but VAR rules him onside and gives the goal.
Ten men drop deep, and United's attack runs out of ideas
- Before the red card: Manchester City pressed man-to-man, with Foden jumping from the right onto Martínez and Haaland onto Maguire, which pushed United into longer passes (Coaches' Voice).
- After 23': United moved into a 2-2-6, or sometimes a 2-3-5, with Dalot and Dorgu pushed high and no fixed striker. City became narrow and compact and stopped pressing. Maresca: "With ten players, we just dropped, waiting for them."
- What United got: 16 shots but only 1.00 xG, and three on target. The National counted ten of the 16 from outside the box. Rashford (free kick, 45+1') and Mainoo (51') hit the post, and Donnarumma saved from Mbeumo late on.
- The goal: Pro Ref said VAR "did not recognise the likely impact" of Enzo Fernández's position and "should have recommended an on-field review". It called the decision "an error of judgement".
Recreate it in FM26
Manchester United · United's 2-2-6 against ten men · 4-2-3-1Show cardHide card
United's 2-2-6 against ten men
| Pos | Player | In Possession | Out of Possession |
|---|---|---|---|
| GK | Lammens | Ball-Playing Goalkeeper | Sweeper Keeper |
| RB | Dalot | Wing-Back | Full-Back |
| RCB | Maguire | Ball-Playing Centre-Back | Stopping Centre-Back |
| LCB | Martínez | Ball-Playing Centre-Back | Covering Centre-Back |
| LB | Dorgu | Wing-Back | Full-Back |
| RDM | Tielemans | Deep-Lying Playmaker | Defensive Midfielder |
| LDM | Mainoo | Box-to-Box Midfielder | Screening Defensive Midfielder |
| RW | Mbeumo | Inside Winger | Tracking Winger |
| AM | Fernandes | Advanced Playmaker | Attacking Midfielder |
| LW | Rashford | Inside Forward | Tracking Winger |
| ST | Cunha | False Nine | Centre Forward |
Team instructions
In Possession
- Attacking TransitionPatient Build-Up
- Passing DirectnessShorter
- Attacking WidthWider
- Creative FreedomMore Expressive
- Shots from DistanceEncouraged
Out of Possession
- Line of EngagementHigh Press
- Defensive LineHigher
- Defensive TransitionCounter-Press
The idea: Two centre-backs and a double pivot behind six attackers, with both full-backs high and Cunha dropping off as a False Nine. It recreates the match, including the long shots. If you want it to work, swap the False Nine for a Channel Forward like Šeško and reduce shots from distance.
What FM26 can't copy: FM26 has no separate plan for playing against ten men, so you have to switch to this shape yourself after a red card.
Our reading of this match in FM26 terms, not an exported tactic file. Role names as in FM26.
What if? Replay it with a different plan
Our best alternative plan: Formation 4-4-2, Zirkzee on at 60' not 83' (for Dalot). React to the red card straight away: two strikers against a narrow ten-man block, then Zirkzee for a full-back after an hour. It improves United's chances a lot, but City could still have scored from their long balls. It moves Manchester United's win chance from 32% to 40% (xG 1.00–1.10 becomes 1.35–1.20). Try your own changes to formation, pressing, approach and substitutions.
The game-changer Manchester United needed
Benjamin Šeško
For 44 minutes against ten men, United played without a striker in the box, and ten of their 16 shots came from distance. Šeško was the one player in the squad who attacks the space behind and near post. That is what a narrow, deep block leaves open, and what Cunha as a false nine couldn't do.
Harry Kane
United needed two things against a deep, narrow block: a striker to occupy Guéhi and Dias, and someone to play the final pass when those centre-backs held their line. Kane does both. He drops in to pass through the lines, then attacks crosses, and he is one of the best finishers from the box edge in Europe.
What the analysts said
“The explanation I got was that he wasn't interfering with play. I just don't get it, I really don't get it.”Michael Carrick
“With ten players, we just dropped, waiting for them.”Enzo Maresca
“I think Erling was onside and Enzo doesn't interfere with the action.”Enzo Maresca
“There is no doubt that Enzo is attempting to play the ball and putting Lisandro Martinez off.”Gary Neville (Sky Sports)
The officials made a mistake. United's attack made a bigger one.
What's happening. United lost the derby 1–0 to a goal the referees' body later said should have been reviewed. They also played 67 minutes against ten men and created very little.
How it works. City dropped deep and left no space behind. United pushed six players high with no fixed striker, so nobody pinned City's centre-backs and the ball went around the edge of the box. Šeško, the only striker who attacks the box, came on at 67'. Against a deep block, a team needs someone running into the box, not more players in front of it.
What the shots say. Replaying every shot, this was close to even: United win about a quarter of the replays, City about four in ten, the rest draws. Sixteen shots against ten men produced less than one expected goal, because most came from distance. A draw would have been fair; a United win would have been generous.