16 conclusions as definitions of ‘interference’ decide Manchester derby

The Manchester derby ended up going red, but while United ultimately deserved the points, they needed a beneficial refereeing decision to get there.

1. At the Etihad on October 6, Manchester City beat Manchester United by six goals to three. It was a breathless afternoon of football, and at the time it looked very much like a demonstration of how much United still had to do to be able to challenge at the very top of the Premier League table. Three months on, three matters stand out beyond any others from this Manchester derby.

Firstly, The Curse of Saturday Lunchtime Fixtures strikes again. United vs City at Old Trafford was never going to be lacking for atmosphere, but as with so many other games played at lunchtime, kicking off so early seemed to knock the stuffing out of the occasion from a footballing perspective for its first 55 minutes or so, and although the last 30 offered enough excitement and controversy to satisfy most appetites, it remains the case that 12.30pm feels like too an early a time to be starting these matches.

2. Secondly, Manchester United have spent much of the last three months catching Manchester City up. The gap is now down to one point and United are now only six points behind leaders Arsenal, and while one of these Manchester giants continues to look as though it’s heading in one direction, the other seems to be heading in the other. This was a scrappy game of loose passes and opportunities not being taken, but there was one happy team and one unhappy team out on the pitch at Old Trafford on this occasion, and it was very clear which was which.

Although this was an imperfect performance from both teams, United’s imperfections were more encouraging than City’s. United had conceded ten goals in their last two Manchester derbies, but they seldom looked like adding to that tally on this occasion, during which they had little difficulty in taming City’s options in attacking positions for much of the match. City continued to look as though too many of their players are not operating to their the fullest of their abilities.

3. And thirdly, getting the rub of the green from a fortuitous refereeing decision can really turn a game on its head, just as much as any moment of brilliance from any particular player. From the point at which City took the lead to the point at which United drew level, it had started to look a little as though City had overcome a wobbly first 50 minutes or so to get back on top of their…