Manchester United’s 3-1 defeat at rivals Manchester City not only condemned the club to an 11th Premier League defeat of the season, but also broke a 143-game streak dating back to September 2014.
The Red Devils stunned the Etihad Stadium into silence just eight minutes into the contest when Marcus Rashford rifled a long-range piledriver past the despairing dive of Ederson to open the scoring.
United were on the back foot for the remainder of the first half, as City pressed for an equalising goal, and had Erling Haaland to thank for going into the break still in the ascendancy – the Norwegian shockingly lifting the ball over the bar from three yards out when it appeared far easier to score.
Normal service was resumed after the interval as Phil Foden superbly levelled proceedings, and he was on hand to put the Premier League champions in front ten minutes from time after a neat one-two with Julian Alvarez gave Casemiro the slip.
Haaland wrapped up the points for City, punishing Sofyan Amrabat for dallying on the ball, and in the process ended United’s astonishing run of 143 Premier League games without defeat having led at half-time.
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United had won 123 of those matches, drawing the other 20, and last surrendered the points from a winning half-time position when they collapsed after Leicester City in September 2014.
Managed by Louis van Gaal, the 13-time Premier League winners led 2-1 at the break thanks to goals from Robin van Persie and Angel Di Maria – yes, that scooped effort over Kasper Schmeichel – and things looked rosier in the 57th minute when Ander Herrera extended the advantage.
But a defence comprised of Rafael, Chris Smalling, Tyler Blackett and Marcos Rojo conceded four times in 20 minutes, with the Foxes awarded two penalties to boot – the latter seeing Blackett sent off for a professional foul – as the game finished 5-3 to the Foxes.
United’s defeat at City wasn’t as calamitous as that occasion, but Erik ten Hag’s charges, missing the likes of Rasmus Hojlund and Lisandro Martinez through injury, were comfortably second best at the home of their noisy neighbours. City enjoyed 73% possession of the ball, rained 27 shots down on…
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