“The league is dangerously prepared for Arsenal, if not, this guy should have been sent off for his foul on our player”- Manchester City Boss Pep Guardiola expresses his disappointment as he believes £30M Manchester United star should have been shown a straight Red card after a challenge from Jeremy Doku
Michael Carrick’s second stint as Manchester United’s caretaker manager got off to a dream start, with second-half strikes from Bryan Mbeumo and Patrick Dorgu dealing a devastating blow to Manchester City’s title ambitions.
After weeks of mounting frustration, Old Trafford finally erupted with passion and energy. The atmosphere had Sir Alex Ferguson celebrating enthusiastically from the stands, while United fans mockingly waved goodbye to City’s star striker Erling Haaland when he was substituted ten minutes from the final whistle.
City’s survival in the match owed everything to goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma, who produced a series of outstanding saves to deny Dorgu, Amad Diallo, Casemiro, and Mbeumo throughout the game.
However, even Donnarumma’s brilliance couldn’t prevent United from opening the scoring. Captain Bruno Fernandes sparked a lightning-quick counterattack, threading the ball to Mbeumo on the left. The Cameroonian forward, freshly returned from Africa Cup of Nations duties, made no mistake with the finish.
Just eleven minutes later, United doubled their advantage when City defender Rico Lewis was caught completely off-guard, allowing Dorgu to steal in ahead of him and slot home Matheus Cunha’s low cross.
Although United had three goals chalked off for offside and Diallo rattled the woodwork late on, City looked incapable of mounting any serious comeback—particularly with Haaland’s goal drought now stretching to just one in seven appearances.
As United supporters serenaded Carrick with chants, Pep Guardiola slumped dejectedly in his dugout, watching his team’s Premier League winless run extend to four games and handing Arsenal a golden opportunity to tighten their grip on top spot.
United temporarily rose to fourth place—something they’d struggled to achieve under Ruben Amorim—giving Carrick and his new coaching team plenty to celebrate at the final whistle.
