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Views and reaction from City’s 2-1 derby day triumph at Old Trafford.
It may not prove to be a decisive moment in the story of this season’s Premier League title race but City’s latest win at the home of their bitterest rivals seemed to prove that the 2011/12 champions are going nowhere.
It’s a great day to flick through the newspapers if you’re a Blue (which hasn’t been the case at all times this season), so let’s take a look at some of the headlines on last night’s win – starting with Daniel Taylor, Chief Football Writer for the Guardian…
“Was this the same Nasri who had been operating for most of the season, by Mancini's own reckoning, at 50%?” Taylor asked.
“Matija Nastasic reminded us why he has displaced Joleon Lescott while Gaël Clichy eventually got the better of Danny Welbeck and Vincent Kompany was more like the player we saw at the end of last season.
“Ferguson's assessment was that United had been the better team but it felt like a deception.
“After 79 minutes Yaya Touré slipped the ball into Agüero just inside a congested penalty area.
“Agüero, a second-half substitute, found a gap and continued running, left to right and away from Welbeck, Jones and Ferdinand with one change of movement and acceleration.
“His shot was a beauty, still rising as it hit the net.”
Elsewhere, Sky Sports pundit Jamie Redknapp reflected on Monday night’s ‘lesson in football’ in his Daily Mail column.
“Manchester United have given City a lesson in consistency this season, but City gave their neighbours a lesson in football on Monday night,” Redknapp declared.
“They were magnificent and got their tactics right with an attacking team. United were as direct as I've seen them and only looked threatening from set plays.
“Roberto Mancini seemed to be making that point after the game when he kept saying: 'We played football'.”
Tactics-guru Michael Cox of ZonalMarking.net also believes that Roberto Mancini got his selection and system spot on across all key areas on Monday night.
“City started better, with their attacking players linking nicely, particularly down the left,” Cox concluded.
“Clear goalscoring opportunities were rare, but City put United’s defence under pressure – and with the home side barely counter-attacking to test Joe Hart, for the majority of the game City looked more likely to score.
“Some have questioned precisely what he [Mancini] brings to City – but in head-to-head clashes against United, he’s generally outmanoeuvred Ferguson.”
If all of this positivity is a bit too happy clappy for you, you could always read the more sober views contained in the Jeremy Cross match report from the Daily Star which is headlined “Cocky Blues Crown Fools” which argues that the manager is to blame for the gap at the top of the table . . . . But why would you want to do that today!?
Man City can win title next season - Roberto Mancini
Chief football writer at Old Trafford Roberto Mancini says Manchester City can regain the Premier League title next season having written off their hopes for the current campaign.
“We know we can win the title next season but this year we made some mistakes. It is unfortunate but we can do nothing. This season the title is gone”
City trail league leaders Manchester United by 12 points after beating their local rivals 2-1 at Old Trafford.
"We know we can win the title next season but this year we made some mistakes," the City manager declared.
"It is unfortunate, we can do nothing. This season the title is gone."
Substitute Sergio Aguero's brilliant late individual goal gave City their second successive win at United, who remain on course to win their 20th title.
"The championship is finished," added Italian Mancini.
"United have won a lot of games and they lost their last game against Norwich in November, a long time ago."
Mancini was delighted with how his side performed in the derby win, saying: "We are happy. We played well and we deserved to win.
"We dominated the other game against Manchester United at the Etihad but lost and I didn't know how it was possible. But that is football; today is the same.
"It was important for us to take second position but I think we showed we don't deserve to stay 15 points behind.
"They have had more consistency in this championship because they won more games but instead we lost points when we probably deserved to win.
Talking tactics - Robbie Savage
"City's line-up, with only one recognised striker in a 4-2-3-1 formation, did not look that attacking at first, but Carlos Tevez helped them take control of the game with his play in United's half. He kept dropping deep to collect the ball and, every time it went into him, he held it up."
"We showed we deserved to stay closer to the title but it is finished. If we lose the title by 15, 12 or 18 points, it does not change anything."
Mancini claimed his squad had been undermined by injury problems as he said: "This season we had some problems with players injured. We are not a team that can lose three or four players.
"We can't lose Yaya Toure and Vincent Kompany together. We are not so strong that we can lose three or four players like this."
Looking ahead to the summer, he added: "We have got three months where we can work well and improve our team."
David Silva, meanwhile, is a serious doubt for Sunday's FA Cup semi-final against Chelsea at Wembley after being forced off with a hamstring injury at Old Trafford.
Man Utd v Man City: A performance worthy of champions
The rambling puzzle that has been Manchester City's unconvincing Premier League title defence offered up even more questions after a performance worthy of champions at Old Trafford.
Flying in the face of the old logic that the table never lies, manager Roberto Mancini has never truly believed Manchester United were, at least at the start of Monday's derby, 15 points better than City.
And, in Old Trafford's normally unforgiving surroundings, City produced the hard evidence to support Mancini's theory with an impressive display of power that will cause intense frustration once the afterglow of celebration has disappeared.
In inflicting United's first league defeat in 18 games since they lost at Norwich City in November, Mancini's reigning champions looked the fitter, more powerful and more threatening side. If there was a gap between the two teams, it was loaded in City's favour at Old Trafford.
One team looked like champions at Old Trafford. And it was the champions.
And yet, taken over the course of the entire season, Alex Ferguson's United will fully deserve their 20th title. They may have been second best to City on Monday but they have been the best side in England since August - and nothing Mancini believes can change that.
When Ferguson reclaims the trophy and gives his traditional winners' speech on the Old Trafford pitch, the usual rule will apply. The finest team has finished on top.
Sergio Aguero's coolness under pressure and natural brilliance won City their first title in 44 years last May. More of the same merely delayed the inevitable with his late winner to give City a fully merited 2-1 win.
The "what might have beens" formed an orderly queue in front of City and their supporters as Vincent Kompany and the outstanding Matija Nastasic emphasised the current trough in form being suffered by Robin Van Persie and Wayne Rooney, while Gareth Barry and Yaya Toure controlled the midfield against Ryan Giggs and Michael Carrick.
Aguero's winner was the sort of goal prime time Rooney would specialise in, the angled run at pace away from a trail of defenders into the penalty area before the finish that was simply too powerful for United keeper David de Gea.
No derby win counts as a hollow victory, but even Ferguson could not appear to work himself into any sort of anger, at least not publicly, about City's second successive Old Trafford win.
The pain for City will come with the acceptance that this sort of display has been an exception rather than the rule this season. They have been overcome by United's consistency - and Ferguson's determination to beat them into making Van Persie his game-changing signing last summer.
There have been too many lame afternoons like those at Southampton and Everton for City. Too many times when the fire has been snuffed out such as in the draw at Queen's Park Rangers.
Mancini's excuses have mounted up recently and sounded a little too much like straw clutching. While he appeared to apportion blame to other teams' passivity to Manchester United, he needed to look closer to home.
And of course if he remains at City next season his well-aired bugbear about the quality of last summer's transfer business will no doubt be used to demand an upgrade this time around.
Maybe City have found the pressures of winning back-to-back titles too much. Maybe they felt they had climbed the mountain last season and could not gather their energies to perform the feat again. The aspirations of those running all aspects of the club's business will expect to them get used to, indeed flourish under, the weight of such demands.
Mancini will undoubtedly waste no time in demanding reinforcements - although his complaint about injuries and "we are not so strong that we can lose three or four players" may be met with stifled laughter among his Premier League counterparts and perhaps the odd raised eyebrow in the financially supportive Etihad boardroom.
This victory and this performance, however, was a graphic illustration of what a force City can be when they get it right and of the riches Mancini still possesses in his squad.
Goalkeeper Joe Hart had a relatively quiet night as a combative City exerted control until Argentine Aguero came off the bench to provide the pace and individuality to make the decisive contribution.
It was a win that showed City's squad, if kept intact, has solid foundations in personalities such as Kompany, Yaya Toure and Aguero.
City made the mistake of adding quantity as opposed to quality to their squad last summer - although Nastasic looks a magnificent defender in the making. It is unlikely they will repeat it when this season ends.
Excellent though this was from City, the brutal truth paints a picture of too little too late. It offers City some pride and allows that to remind United of their threat even as they prepare to take their title off them.
Ferguson will turn his attention to the bigger prize of that title, although he allowed himself some time for reflection in his match notes for Monday's game.
He wrote: "How do we analyse this season - is it one of regret or celebration? For me it's something of the proverbial curate's egg, part bad but with some great redeeming features."
This was the bad but another title to add to United's record-breaking collection is some redeeming feature.
For City, it was a bitter-sweet night when showed what they are capable of - and reminded us they have not been capable of producing it often enough this season.
David Silva doubtful for Manchester City's FA Cup semi-final against Chelsea
Manchester City playmaker David Silva could be forced to miss Sunday's FA Cup semi-final against Chelsea after suffering a hamstring injury.
Silva was forced off late in Monday's 2-1 derby win over Manchester United and manager Roberto Mancini fears the Spaniard will not recover in time to face Chelsea at Wembley.
"I think it is a hamstring injury. Maybe it is not so bad but I don't think he will be ready for Chelsea," said the Italian.
Mancini admits City will need to produce another battling display against the Blues, who have lost only one of their last five games.
"Chelsea are in a good moment, they play well and it will be difficult," he said.
"It will be a good game, probably, but it will be different. Semi-finals are different from championship games."
Mancini felt that City were good value for their 2-1 victory over United, but insisted the title race was still over after the gap between the sides was reduced to 12 points.
"We are happy because we played very well," Mancini said. "This is the most important thing for us. We deserved to win.
"The game before against United we dominated that game and we lost in the end which I don't know how it's possible but this is football.
When asked about the title, Mancini replied: "It's finished.
"What is important is only for the second position. [If we finish] 15, 12, 18 points behind it doesn't change anything. I think that we are like them but they score more than us and this is the difference."
Bacon rues derby officials
Alex Ferguson complained that Manchester City's opening goal should have been disallowed after Roberto Mancini's team beat the league leaders 2-1 at Old Trafford.
City substitute Sergio Aguero scored the deciding goal but Manchester United manager Ferguson felt referee Mike Dean was wrong to allow James Milner's opener.
He insisted City striker Carlos Tevez was in an offside position and obstructing goalkeeper David de Gea's vision.
"The first goal, certainly Tevez is interfering with play," Ferguson said. "But the linesman on the other side? There is no way he was giving that. It was disappointing as he was clearly in the road of the goalkeeper. If that is not interference then I don't know what is."
Ferguson was unhappy with his side's defending for both City goals, adding: "In the second half we were the better team. We have to look at ourselves in terms of the goals we lost, we know Aguero is a fantastic finisher, that is what they brought him on for. We gave him a lot of room for the goal."
However, the United manager was pleased with the performances of his strikers and Phil Jones, who moved into defence with Nemanja Vidic, Jonny Evans and Chris Smalling all absent with injuries.
He added: "There was a lot of plus sides and evidence our form is good. Robin van Persie was fantastic, almost 90 minutes for Wayne Rooney will bring him on again after missing a couple of games.
"Phil Jones was magnificent. He's only played two games at centre-back this season and that tells you what a good player he is, at 21 years of age he is a man. He was fantastic."
United could be without the injured Ashley Young when they travel to Stoke on Sunday but Ferguson added: "The more important thing is trying to get one of the centre-backs ready. That will be important."
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[/spoiler]QPR chairman Tony Fernandes will order a major clear-out at Loftus Road this summer with midfielder Adel Taarabt, 23, likely to be the biggest sale. Daily Mirror
Tottenham are among a group of Premier League clubs that would consider triggering Loic Remy's £8m escape clause if QPR are relegated. The 26-year-old French striker has scored five goals in seven starts since joining from Marseille in January. Guardian
Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney will not leave Old Trafford for Paris St-Germain this summer, according to team-mate Federico Macheda. The French side are said to be monitoring Rooney's situation after the 27-year-old England forward was left out of last month's Champions League defeat by Real Madrid. Metro
Sporting Lisbon's Diego Capel, 25, is being targeted by Liverpool but the Anfield club will face competition from Marseille for the £10m-rated Spanish winger. Daily Mirror
Inter Milan have moved ahead of Arsenal and Newcastle in the race to sign Saint-Etienne striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. Inter have submitted an £8.5m offer for the 23-year-old Gabon forward. talkSHIT
Fulham could make a £4m move for Stoke goalkeeper Asmir Begovic, 25, who has been linked with a summer switch to Manchester United. Daily Mirror
Stoke are set to make an offer for 24-year-old PSV Eindhoven left-back Erik Pieters in the summer. Voetbal International
Brighton could sign Reading striker Noel Hunt, 30, on a free transfer this summer. The Republic of Ireland striker has only been offered a one-year extension to his current deal, which expires at the end of the season. talkSHIT
Crewe manager Steve Davis expects to lose midfielder Luke Murphy, 23, this summer and rates him as a better prospect than Ashley Westwood, who left the Alex for Aston Villa in August last year. Sky Sports
Midfielder Jermaine Jenas, 30, insists he will not quit QPR — even if they go down. Sun
Striker Clint Dempsey, 30, has admitted Tottenham are battling their own nerves as well as their rivals for a top-four finish. Daily Star
Christian Benteke is set to open contract talks with Aston Villa and will remain at the club as long as they stay in the Premier League. The Belgium striker, 22, has scored 19 goals since joining from Genk in August and has been linked with Tottenham, Liverpool and Arsenal. DSSC
Midfielder John Mikel Obi, 25, has dismissed Chelsea's current campaign in the Europa League as "Thursday nights, Channel 5" and said he hoped the club would be "prime time" again next season by ensuring qualification for the Champions League. Guardian
French midfielder Alfred N'Diaye, 23, insists Sunderland have got their mojo back thanks to boss Paolo Di Canio. Sun
Tottenham are putting their faith in the once controversial blood-spinning technique to speed up Gareth Bale's recovery from an ankle injury. DSSC
Up to 50 Galatasaray fans tried to raid the offices of Turkey's Beyaz TV after pundits said that Real Madrid were favourites to progress to the next round after Tuesday's match. El Pais
Bayern Munich sporting director Matthias Sammer, 45, has challenged winger Franck Ribery, 30, to a press-up contest if the Bavarians win the Champions League. Sammer said: "I do not know if Franck will be able to handle the pressure." Bild
Former West Ham, Aston Villa and Bolton midfielder Nigel Reo-Coker, 28, has taken his tough-tackling reputation all the way to the MLS. The Vancouver Whitecaps player caused a San Jose Earthquakes player to do a front somersault with a firm challenge. 606 newsletter
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