Manchester United

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Former Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney, speaking to BBC Sport: "I thought Manchester United were the better team and dominated Manchester City up until half-time, but they gave away too many free-kicks and allowed the game to be slowed down which suited City perfectly.

"Once City got their goal they managed the game brilliantly and United just couldn't find enough quality, especially in the final third.

"Erling Haaland's goal should not have stood - it was offside - but as soon as City went ahead they used all their nous and game management to frustrate United. They restricted them to pretty much one chance and didn't look in any danger at all.

"United are already eight points behind City and Michael Carrick will be disappointed with how they've started, there's no doubt about that. There have been some good moments but one win from four league matches tells its own story.

"When the transfer window closed, I felt United still needed better players - to not only to provide competition for places and cover across all competitions, but to come on in games and provide that extra quality and change games.

"You were just waiting for someone to be brought on and make an impact, but you looked at the bench and there weren't many attacking threats to call on. It was all a bit toothless."

Manchester United boss Michael Carrick, speaking to BBC Match of the Day, was furious with the decision to allow Erling Haaland's goal:

"The decision for the goal is absolutely huge, I'm absolutely baffled by the decision," said Carrick. "If that's how the rules are interpreted in terms of affecting the game or impacting the action and throwing yourself at the ball six yards from goal - it was an awful decision, I have to say.

"I thought we were doing well, coming out of the second half we were looking like we were building momentum, Kobbie [Mainoo] hits the post. It is just a huge decision. How many layers do we put behind officials, screens, people in offices, and they come up with that, it's really worrying.

"I thought we had some really good spells. The goal has a major impact and the decision has a major impact. We could've create more, it is not easy when they defend the box."

Did you know?

• This was the first time Manchester United generated less than 1.0 xG in a Premier League home game under Michael Carrick (0.95).

• United managed just two shots on target after Phil Foden's 23rd minute red card. They did hit the woodwork twice for the second Manchester derby in a row however - something that they had only done in two of the prior 44 meetings.

• 50 teams have received a red card as the visiting team at Old Trafford in the Premier League, but only two have won: Everton in November 2025 (13th minute, won 1-0) and Manchester City today (23rd minute, won 1-0).

Man Utd starting XI:

Senne Lammens: Not as busy as he might have expected to be. Absolutely vital save from Fernandez to prevent City second. 7

Diogo Dalot: If only he had been able to control Bruno Fernandes' chipped pass into the penalty area he might have marked his 250th Manchester United appearance with a rare goal. Didn't look down the line to see he was clearly offside as United pressed just before half-time. Screwed shot wide after break. 4

Harry Maguire: Decent performance from veteran central defender and not far away from an equaliser with late header. Needless push on Enzo Fernandez in the box, for which he was booked. 6

Lisandro Martinez: Didn't dive in when Bruno Fernandes played a pass towards his own goal straight to Erling Haaland and won the ball from the Norwegian. Decent effort. 7

Patrick Dorgu: Replaced Luke Shaw at left back in the starting 11 and did OK but doesn't have the same link with Rashford. Attempted block proved so crucial to City's opener. 6

Kobbie Mainoo: Another assured display in front of England boss Thomas Tuchel. Came close to giving his side the lead just after half-time and was home side's most effective midfielder. 8

Youri Tielemans (off 66, Sesko): Best performance of the season so far but yet to make the standout contribution expected. 7

Bryan Mbeumo: Probably United's most-effective attacking player. Header just wide before injury-time effort saved. 8

Bruno Fernandes: Fortunate to get away with no sanction at all over the incident that led to Foden's dismissal. Not one of his better efforts 6

Marcus Rashford (off 83, Zirkzee): Curling long-range free-kick against the post with Donnarumma beaten and shot into side-netting but still waiting for first goal since his return. 6

Matheus Cunha: Preferred to Benjamin Sesko in starting line-up and dragged early shot wide. Got involved on plenty of occasions, but again by dropping deep. Off target with a second-half opportunity. 7

Subs:

Benjamin Sesko (on 66, Tielemans): Brought on to make an impact and tried his luck from distance soon afterwards. 6

Joshua Zirkzee (on 83, Rashford) 6

Subs not used: Darlow, Mazraoui, Mount, Yoro, Santos, Heaven, Lacey.

Joe Rindl
BBC Sport journalist

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For Manchester United this match was a huge opportunity missed, and was strikingly similar to their 1-0 loss to 10-men Everton last November.

After gaining a man advantage, they first hit the post in the 45th minute through Marcus Rashford's dipping free-kick.

They then struck the woodwork again in the 50th minute through Kobbie Mainoo's curling effort from range which bounced off the post and hit the back of City goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma but landed safely for the Italian to gather.

United's only other major chance came right at the end when Bruno Fernandes found Bryan Mbeumo in the area and his sharp shot was palmed behind by Donnarumma.

Otherwise United looked laboured going forward against 10 men, especially after City took the lead.

The Red Devils finished last season well but have started this campaign poorly, winning just one Premier League match and conceding in every league game.

Whether you were at the game or following from elsewhere, we want to know what you learned.

Have your say on Manchester United's performance

What did you make of Manchester City's display?

Reaction and analysis to follow - and come back on Monday for a selection of your replies.

There are two games in the Premier League on Sunday and BBC Sport will bring you every moment.

• Coventry v Brighton (14:00) - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

• Manchester United v Manchester City (16:30) - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

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Simply predict the outcome of the six fixtures we've selected from across domestic and European competitions every week.

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I have got this result really badly wrong over the past couple of seasons, when I have tended to go for Manchester City, but I am not sure this time.

City are more methodical under Enzo Maresca, with the way that he builds play from the back - they won't be swashbuckling, put it that way.

I don't think he has changed much about his way of playing from when he was in charge at Chelsea, and Manchester United will be ready for that.

I really like United boss Michael Carrick and the way he does not get too carried away, win or lose.

Everton's late equaliser would have felt like a loss last weekend, but United still haven't clicked in attack yet, and that's part of the problem for them.

Then I look at the goals they are shipping too, and wonder if they are really good enough to keep City out?

I am not so sure they are, but I also think they can hurt City.

City have made a brilliant start, with four wins out of four in all competitions since the Premier League got under way, but if they looked a little vulnerable against Coventry then United are going to cause them more problems.

Sutton's prediction: 2-2

Read the full predictions and have your say here

Simon Stone
Manchester United reporter

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Manchester United forward Benjamin Sesko says a patient response to the shin injury he suffered last season has paid off ahead of today's Manchester derby against rivals City.

When Sesko came on as a second half substitute at Hull on 22 August, he was ending a three-and-a-half-month absence from Michael Carrick's side.

The Slovenian forward got injured against Liverpool on 3 May when he was shoved off the Old Trafford pitch by Ibrahima Konate.

At the time, Carrick confirmed it was a shin injury but said his £74m frontman had been dealing with the problem for 'some time'.

It had been anticipated Sesko would recover in time to feature at some point in United's pre-season campaign, but that turned out not to be the case.

"Obviously I got a kick last season, but it was also a little bit overload for myself," said Sesko.

"It was my shin. It just needed a little bit longer than usual.

"Basically, we wanted to make sure it didn't get worse because if you start too early it might appear again. I think it was a great decision to wait a little longer because now it's healed, so it's perfect."

Sesko followed up his first goal of the season at Everton last weekend by adding another to his tally in Thursday's Champions League triumph over Sabah FK.

It has taken his overall return to 12 in his last 19 games.

Given he provides a different threat to United's other forwards, it puts him line for a starting spot in the first meeting with City since Enzo Maresca took charge.

Sesko seemed to have bulked up his physique when he returned to training. Club sources say this was a consequence of his extended rest period, which left him needing to reduce his body fat percentage.

"Obviously, I had quite some time from the injury that I could gain some muscle. I lost so much already because I was overweight with muscles and couldn't really move so much. But now I feel very good and I think I'm in the right place, way better especially than last season, because obviously I changed countries and everything was new.

"But now I'm really enjoying it, I'm happy here, I love life here, my teammates are perfect and I can't really complain about anything."

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Manchester United host Manchester City on Sunday, and former players have been talking to BBC Radio Manchester about the derby.

Ex-United midfielder Paul Ince said: "It's a big test for United. We talk about City bringing in some tough midfield players but they've also got 30-goals goalscorer Erling Haaland, [Phil] Foden looks like he's starting to find his feet and they look exciting again.

"So, that's probably the test for United to see how far they've come. But like any Manchester derby - it doesn't really matter whether you won the game before, you've got to win that game. Form goes out of the window.

"It will show where both teams are at at this stage of the season."

While former City striker Uwe Rosler told BBC Radio Manchester: "I understood straight away the magnitude of those games and what it meant for our supporters.

"The biggest advantage for City is that they played the Champions League game on Tuesday and United played on Thursday. City had more time for recovery, more time to prepare and coming in off the back of a winning streak.

"But in the end it's a team against a team, men against men on the pitch and we all know United have world-class players. It will not be a walkover.

"But I'm pretty sure we will win the match."

Hear more from Ince on BBC Sounds here

Listen to Rosler's derby day memories here

Find full match commentary on BBC Radio 5 Live and BBC Sounds on Sunday

Paul Birch
BBC Sport journalist

The 199th Manchester derby takes place with City travelling to Old Trafford looking for a win which would extend their lead over rivals United to eight points after just four games. BBC Sport takes a look at the key themes going into Sunday's fixture.

For the first time in 28 Manchester derbies, dating back to March 2016, Pep Guardiola will not be prowling the touchline. The former Manchester City boss enjoyed a host of famous victories in this fixture, including seven at Old Trafford alone, but the tide had turned in more recent times, with City winning just one of their past six matches against their bitter rivals.

Guardiola's successor, Enzo Maresca, knows all about what this match means, having served as the Spaniard's assistant during City's Treble winning season in 2022-23.

His side come into Sunday's game in fine fettle, having made it four wins in a row with a professional victory in Porto on Wednesday.

With such a heavy turnover of players during a busy summer of ins and outs at Etihad Stadium, Maresca must have been apprehensive that his new-look midfield in particular may take time to settle, but they have hit the ground running.

The 143 passes Elliot Anderson completed against Coventry City last week was more than the whole Sky Blues side managed, while his overall tally of completing 122 passes under high pressure is more than any other top-flight player this season.

And then against Porto, teen sensation Ayyoub Bouaddi sparkled on his first start for the club, producing a mature and assured performance that led to praise from his manager and team-mates.

"He did a really good game," Erling Haaland said of the most expensive teenager in Premier League history. "The past couple of weeks in training, he has been amazing. I think we have got a gem there, to be honest."

Haaland is in pretty decent form himself, having scored five in his past three games. He also loves facing Manchester United, with his tally of eight goals in seven Premier League appearances against the Red Devils only bettered by Mohamed Salah (13) and Alan Shearer (10).

Carrick looking to continue superb home form

Michael Carrick featured in 23 Manchester derbies as a player and enjoyed a memorable first one as a manager last season as his second spell as the Red Devils' interim boss got off to a dream start with a 2-0 win.

A repeat of that success would see Carrick become only the third United boss to win both of his first two league games against their cross-city rivals, after AH Albut in 1895 and John Bentley in 1913.

It would also be the first time that they have beaten Manchester City in successive league games at Old Trafford since a run of three under Sir Alex Ferguson from 2008-09 to 2010-11.

They have enjoyed a superb run at home since Carrick took over, winning nine of 10 league games and scoring at least twice in all of those victories. However, the past three of those wins have come despite the Red Devils conceding two themselves in each game.

And their habit of letting in two goals per game is becoming a recurring theme. They have conceded twice in all three of their top-flight games so far, and in 10 of their 20 league games under Carrick.

The former England midfielder, though, has enjoyed a superb record against the established 'big six' and Aston Villa, recording seven wins and a draw from his eight in charge, scoring 18 and conceding just eight.

Simon Stone
Manchester United reporter

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Manchester United defender Lisandro Martinez is not taking his previous success against Erling Haaland as proof it will happen again at Old Trafford tomorrow.

Despite the relative size difference, Argentina centre-back Martinez has a decent record against the prolific Manchester City man.

Most recently, Martinez rammed the cruel pre-match jibes of former United stars Nicky Butt and Paul Scholes down their throats by shutting Haaland out in Michael Carrick's first game in charge last January.

However, the Argentina star was also part of a United side Haaland scored a hat-trick against in October 2022, so he is wise to take nothing for granted.

"The past is gone," he said. "I have to be ready for this game because it's going to be different to the last one."

The problem for United is that they have conceded twice in all three league games so far this season.

City represents a significant step up in standard from their previous opponents, including Everton, who scored twice in the final 10 minutes to come from behind to claim a draw at the Hill Dickinson stadium.

"Against Everton, we played to take the clean sheet and then conceded the goals, which annoys us," he said.

"It's really bad, for sure, because we want to be there and want to compete, keeping the clean sheet is very important."

United have not beaten City in successive Premier League home games since 2011.

Their chances of ending that record have not been helped by the fact they played on Thursday, giving City two days' additional preparation time.

"It is what it is," said Martinz. "We can't change it.

"We want to be playing every three days, playing in all the competitions. It is what we wanted for long time and now we are ready."

Ella Gibbs
BBC Sport journalist

Manchester United boss Michael Carrick has been speaking to the media before Sunday's Premier League game against Manchester City at Old Trafford (kick-off 16:30 BST).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• Matheus Cunha and Benjamin Sesko both "bring different threats" to Manchester United, with Carrick saying who is picked is dependant "a little bit on the opposition and a little bit on the balance of our team and the spaces we want to attack".

• On forward Marcus Rashford, the United boss said: "Really pleased with him in so many ways. He was a real threat on Sunday, unfortunate to not get more success but he was a real threat. I'm not sure what else to say, just really pleased to have him. We have good options so trying to keep everyone fresh".

• On the Manchester derby: "There's no way we're assuming [how it will go]. We won last year but we're not going to do everything the same."

• He added: "I feel we're getting better all the time and that helps us. We know it's a big and important game and there's a lot riding on it. We're looking forward to it and we have a short time to recover and prepare for it but we will make the most of it".

• Carrick praised opponents Manchester City, saying: "They're a very good team with good results. They've got players to rotate from and that's the position they're in. We know we have to put in a really good performance to get the result we want".

• On midfielder Youri Tielemans, who joined in the summer: "All our midfielders are technical and able to connect the game forward. It's nice to draw on that and have that in the team. Youri settled in fantastic, Andrey [Santos] settled in great. Mason [Mount], we're asking him to do slightly different things to what he's done in the past but he's able to do that. The understanding between them is growing all the time".

• On his own position as head coach at the club: "I think I said it pretty early on, all decisions we made were as if we were going to be here for a period of time, I didn't how long that was going to be, I still don't. We were planning for the future and what we wanted it to look like and that was from day one. The performance the lads gave in that City game [last season] was incredible with all that. From the start, it was planning to where we want to get this club to in the long term".

Hit play above to hear more from Carrick or listen on BBC Sounds here

Listen to live commentary of the Manchester derby on BBC Radio 5 Live and BBC Sounds on Sunday

Follow all of Friday's Premier League news conferences and the rest of the day's football news

Got a question about Man Utd? Get in touch here and we'll seek answers from our experts

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We asked for your views on Manchester United's 4-0 win over Sabah in the Champions League.

Here are some of your comments:

Nigel: A very competent performance without being overly stretched. Everyone had a decent game, although Patrick Dorgu's defending was a worry. Don't see him as a suitable replacement for Luke Shaw, he isn't good enough.

Abubakar: This is the Manchester United that we always wanted to see. Playing well, coordinated, creating and scoring goals.

Oladosu: A good start. They just need to keep the momentum. Belief and continuous hard work, they will go far... both in the Premier League and Champions League.

Peter: A good opening match for United in the Champions League. I've been a supporter for 68 years. I wish them well, need strength in defence though.

Chris: Nice to see a great performance by all the Manchester United team.

Simon Stone
Manchester United reporter

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Manchester United Under-21 coach Adam Lawrence has no intention of curbing JJ Gabriel's natural attacking flair.

The 15-year-old is one of the most talked about players in academy football just now.

After scoring a memorable goal in each of his first two outings in Premier League 2, he marked his Uefa Youth League debut at Leigh on Thursday by becoming the youngest United player to score a hat-trick in the competition.

Remarkably, if he had remained with United's under-18 side, he would still be their youngest player, and he doesn't turn 16 until next month.

Lawrence knows he is working with a rare talent and the aim is to maximise the skills Gabriel has.

"The first thing in my job is not to ruin him," said Lawrence. "When you have a talented player like JJ, you don't want to stifle their freedom and creativity.

"Essentially what you try to do is set the team up to allow the talent to function and play free at the right moments. Of course, it can't always be free and off-the-cuff in terms of some of the off-the-ball responsibilities he's working on and the pressing things he's thinking about.

"But in terms of how he plays properly and how he connects with other team-mates at the top end of the pitch, he's just in a real good space. He's trying to do the right things. It's enjoyable working with him - and challenging as a coach because the best players challenge you.

"With talented players, you have to find a way to help them and allow them to flourish and keep improving."

Despite his age, Gabriel was named Premier League Under-18 player of the year last season. He was also awarded United's under-18 player of the year prize, which in the past has been won by the likes of Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes, Marcus Rashford and Kobbie Mainoo.

"He's surrounded by people that really believe in him, from the top of the club right the way through," added Lawrence. "He's got good relationships with the players and staff. That helps as well.

"His games programme, training programme and making sure he's getting the right exposure across different levels is definitely something we put a lot of thought into. It's good to see him just enjoying his football."

Simon Stone
Manchester United reporter

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Manchester United will experience far stiffer tests of their Champions League credentials than Sabah gave them at Old Trafford.

In fact, it would be no surprise if the Azerbaijani champions were by some distance the weakest of the eight league stage opponents Michael Carrick's side will come up against.

However, there were some important lessons for the head coach to absorb. The biggest of them is that United are a much more effective unit when Benjamin Sesko starts.

• Have your say on Man Utd's display on Thursday

This was the first time the Slovenian had done so since the Liverpool game last March, when he finally accepted he could no longer play through the shin issue that had been plaguing him for a number of weeks.

He was only at the stage where he could be brought on as a substitute in the second half of the opening-day trip to Hull City. The same also applied for the subsequent outings against Ipswich and Everton.

It was Sabah's bad luck Sesko was fit to start against them - and it showed. At 6ft 5in, the 23-year-old has a physical presence United's other strikers lack.

He offers a totally different threat, pushes defences back, isn't easy to dispossess and runs at opponents rather than away from them. And he scores goals.

Sesko had clarity of thought against Sabah, swiftly moving the ball past goalkeeper Stas Pokatilov before steering the ball into an empty net.

It isn't that Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha can't do that, it is more that Sesko can do it in addition to presenting the physical threat.

"There aren't many around that give you what he does in terms of physique, physicality, playing on the last line and speed to run in behind," said Carrick.

"It is great to have him back at this level after working to get his fitness back. I'm really pleased with the way he has gone."

It is a fairly obvious thing to say, but Carrick now has a big decision before Sunday's Premier League derby against Manchester City at Old Trafford (16:30 BST).

Does he trust Sesko's fitness and stick with him? Or does he revert to Cunha, given there has been no indication Amad Diallo is ready to return?

Read the full article here

Former Premier League defender Stephen Warnock believes Manchester United's Patrick Dorgu showed a glimpse of "what he is capable of doing" at left-back against Sabah, but his performance also showcased "what his vulnerabilities are".

The 21-year-old, who is more naturally a left winger, assisted the hosts' opener in Thursday's 4-0 Champions League win and got Uefa's player-of-the-match award.

"It was his first start under Michael Carrick in that position," Warnock said on Match of the Day. "It was a little look at what he is capable of doing and what his vulnerabilities are in that position.

"We already know that he is quite lively going forward, but it is the defensive side of the game that he struggles with.

"If Carrick wants him to play in that position going forward, Dorgu will have to improve on his defensive duties.

"He was asked to do a lot of running down that left-hand side against Sabah. His first thought is always whether he can get forward, but that often leaves him out of position.

"When he is so high up the pitch, you do think: 'If that was to break down, he would be in big trouble.' The problem is that he has to run 60-70 yards to get back into position, which is very difficult. That's where Sabah got most of their opportunities.

"On the flip side, he has the energy and the ability to get forward down that left side because of his athleticism - but to do that for 90 minutes is a real big ask."

What did you make of Man Utd's performance on Thursday? Have your say

Catch up on Match of the Day here