***champs v chumps official match day thread***

[Mase]

Bit pissed now, but must confess, I was worried about the game today, this is down to having the typical city syndrome. But there is no comparison with the teams. Our team play a very modern expansive game, United play a very old fashioned game, it is not just about players now, but the way teams are set up to play. We are the best at that.

This.

[everyonehatesus]

Fuck me I just heard what that cunt they call a manager had to say about the game. For someone that claims we have little or no class he's got it down to a fine art

[City64]

Proper good day , Etihad rocking and the lads delivered. Awesome !

This is what it’s like to be City CTID

[Mase]

Our best players are STILL Bob's buys. Silva and Aguero - how will we replace them?!

[johnny crossan]

Our best players are STILL Bob's buys. Silva and Aguero - how will we replace them?!

Fernandinho was immense today, he's the team enforcer - you'll be pleased Mase, he had Mahrez by the collar for losing his man. Pep whipped him off just after that. I think Mendy was telling him to straighten up as he walked off too.

[bigblue]

Routine win va a midtable side

[Mase]

Our best players are STILL Bob's buys. Silva and Aguero - how will we replace them?!

Fernandinho was immense today, he's the team enforcer - you'll be pleased Mase, he had Mahrez by the collar for losing his man. Pep whipped him off just after that. I think Mendy was telling him to straighten up as he walked off too.

I thought Mahrez did well today, although out of all our players was probably the least in the game - hence he got taken off.

Fern is Fern. Apparently his legs have gone

[linwood]

Our best players are STILL Bob's buys. Silva and Aguero - how will we replace them?!

Basically we're fucked, all players since Bob are ahit

[london blue 2]

Our best players are STILL Bob's buys. Silva and Aguero - how will we replace them?!

Fernandinho was immense today, he's the team enforcer - you'll be pleased Mase, he had Mahrez by the collar for losing his man. Pep whipped him off just after that. I think Mendy was telling him to straighten up as he walked off too.

I think Fern was saying, pull his fucking shirt and foul him. Don’t leave me to get booked stopping him.

[kennyboy]

Fuck me I just heard what that cunt they call a manager had to say about the game. For someone that claims we have little or no class he's got it down to a fine art

Yeah that was funny, calling our 3goals bad mistakes from them.
Ederson did make a mistake, yes. So he was meaning it was a 0-0 game

[Mase]

Our best players are STILL Bob's buys. Silva and Aguero - how will we replace them?!

Basically we're fucked, all players since Bob are ahit

I wouldn't say they've all been a hit. Nolito wasn't great. But Sterling and Sanè have definitely been a hit.

[Saul Goodman]

Our best players are STILL Bob's buys. Silva and Aguero - how will we replace them?!

Basically we're fucked, all players since Bob are ahit

I wouldn't say they've all been a hit. Nolito wasn't great. But Sterling and Sanè have definitely been a hit.

Jury is still out on that KDB guy. Not sure about him yet

[sheblue]

Our best players are STILL Bob's buys. Silva and Aguero - how will we replace them?!

Basically we're fucked, all players since Bob are ahit

I wouldn't say they've all been a hit. Nolito wasn't great. But Sterling and Sanè have definitely been a hit.

Ederson, KDB, Bernardo, Walker, Ferna..lol lol lol...

[Saul Goodman]

Pep was yelling about that miss, not that playing around. And for that he was absolutely right, Raheem should had buried that at 2-0.

No, he wasnt.

"He makes some movement with the legs, we can avoid it, but he's young, and he's going to improve."

aka those stupid step-overs at the end.

[Harry Dowd scored]

I am very pissed, but very happy, please let nothing spoil this

[Saul Goodman]

So what exactly was the difference between these teams over the 90 minutes? We take a look at some of the numbers that highlight that gap…

Shots: City 17 - 6 United

Ederson was guilty of a sloppy error in bringing down Romelu Lukaku to allow Anthony Martial to pull one back from the penalty spot early in the second half, but perhaps the most revealing statistic of the game was that the City goalkeeper did not make a single save.

Martial's penalty was the only effort on goal by United in the entire match. Jose Mourinho's team had one shot off target and four more that were blocked. City, meanwhile, had 17 shots in all, with five of them needing saving by David de Gea. He only kept out two.

Passes: City 704 - 380 United

The contrast in style was clear in the passing numbers. City racked up 704 passes to United's 380. Right from the outset, the visitors could not keep City's playmakers out of the game. "It has been apparent from the first minute that United have tried to get Herrera on David Silva and then Matic on the other Silva," said Jamie Redknapp. "It has not really worked."

With the score at 2-0, City's supporters began to cheer every pass and if that proved premature given that United's goal brought them right back into the game, it was an indication of how comfortable this was for the home team for long periods.

The two styles of play are different but it was City's style that won out on the day and the final goal was the perfect illustration of their passing game. There were 44 passes in the build-up to Gundogan's strike - the most for any goal that has been scored in the Premier League this season.

Kilometres: City 112.96 - 107.66 United

City's energy levels were also impressive and they were on the front foot in the first half. By the time it was over, they had outrun United by more than five kilometres.

Even their diminutive passers were dispossessing their opponents with Bernardo Silva regaining the ball as many times as any United player and making three tackles too. "You look at these lads and think they will be poor defenders, but they can tackle," said Neville.

There is an absolute gulf between the two teams in performance levels.

Points: City 32 - 20 United

Ultimately, the win maintained City's two-point lead at the top of the Premier League table and extended their advantage over United to 12 points.

Neville believes that is a fair reflection of the gap in quality between the teams. "It is sobering to say but we shouldn't compare United to City at this moment in time," he said afterwards. "There is an absolute gulf between the two teams in performance levels.

"Twelve points between the teams is about right after 12 games. United's biggest problem is not Manchester City it is how they get closer to the rest of the top four and get into that race because City are just at a different level right now all over the pitch."

[Mase]

Our best players are STILL Bob's buys. Silva and Aguero - how will we replace them?!

Basically we're fucked, all players since Bob are ahit

I wouldn't say they've all been a hit. Nolito wasn't great. But Sterling and Sanè have definitely been a hit.

Ederson, KDB, Bernardo, Walker, Ferna..lol lol lol...

They've been ahit as well.

Not sure about lol lol lol though. What season did they sign?

[iwasthere2012]

Our best players are STILL Bob's buys. Silva and Aguero - how will we replace them?!

Basically we're fucked, all players since Bob are ahit

I wouldn't say they've all been a hit. Nolito wasn't great. But Sterling and Sanè have definitely been a hit.

Ederson, KDB, Bernardo, Walker, Ferna..lol lol lol...

All shite

[CTID Hants]

Just pootling round social media and some stats being thrown out there are astonishing.....

Romelu Lukaku: On in minute 57 - 3 passes
Alexis Sanchez: On in minute 73 - 1 pass

Phil Foden: On in minute 92 - 7 passes


How's this for a stat? (from MOTD)

At the point Manchester City took the lead, Manchester United had attempted only 11 passes. IN 12 MINUTES. And only five of those had been successful.

City had made 104 with 92% accuracy.

[bluemoon]

Man that felt good. Good to see Maureens luck running out, they were a disgrace in the final third. I could be wrong, but that leaves Chelsea as the only team Pep hasn't beaten at home? Tempo in first 20mins was what I'd hoped for, shame it didn't continue in that vain or it'd be game over at half time. The Silvas were outstanding and we should savour every minute we get to see them on the pitch together.