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Player Ratings From A Predictably Disappointing Manchester Derby

Mikey Traynor
By Mikey Traynor
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Manchester City and Manchester United faced off in what Sky Sports were desperately trying to hype up as a part of HEAVYWEIGHT WEEK, but most knew it would be a cagey affair and not an attractive one for the neutral.

Going into the game both sides had a lot riding on the result, as a win for City would all but lock up 3rd place for Pep's men, and a win for United would be a huge jump towards sealing 4th place, but in the end... It was a draw, which changes nothing essentially.

No goals, few chances, one stupid, stupid red card, here's how we rated the starting players for both sides.

Manchester City:

Claudio Bravo - 5

Had so little to do, and still nearly gifted United a goal with a moment of madness. It wasn't his fault that he was ridiculously stretchered off for what looked like an niggly injury, but he did nothing to deserve higher than a 5.

Pablo Zabaleta - 7

Solid in defence against pacey players, offered good width that stretched United at times. A decent showing.

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Vincent Kompany - 7

Dealt with Rashford as well as he could and was a commanding presence at the back when it came to thwarting the opponent's counter attacks.

Nicolas Otamendi - 6

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Looks a lot steadier alongside Kompany than he does John Stones, and while Rashford gave him some trouble he was fine.

Aleksander Kolarov - 7

Read: Zabaleta.

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Fernandinho - 6

Kept busy in midfield and along with Yaya dealt with a lot of the ball as City kept United on the back front throughout.

Yaya Toure - 6

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Caused problems in midfield by drifting into decent spots and carried the ball well, a solid performance.

Kevin De Bruyne - 7

Probably the best player on the pitch in a match in which nobody stood out, you felt that if something was going to happen, De Bruyne would have created it.

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Leroy Sane - 4

What was that, Leroy?

By his own high standards, he was very disappointing as nothing he tried worked and he sort of faded out of the game before being removed in the second half.

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Raheem Sterling - 5

He would have fancied himself up against Matteo Darmian, but had no joy despite seeing a lot of the ball. Wasteful.

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Sergio Aguero - 7

Lively up front and a constant headache with his charging at the defence.

Manchester United:

David De Gea - 7

Did his job well tonight, not much else to say.

Antonio Valencia - 7

Has really become an important player for Mourinho, tonight showed how far his defending has come on in line with his pace and strength.

Eric Bailly - 7

Bailly was a beast, and dealt with a lot of awkward situations with ease. A composed and impressive performance.

Daley Blind - 7

The Dutchman also played well, and he needed to with Aguero always on the move, in a solid partnership with Bailly.

Matteo Darmian - 6

A solid performance from Darmian who still doesn't look full comfortable on the left. Dealt with Sterling well.

Michael Carrick - 5

Was always going to struggle with the opposition having so much possession, Carrick wasn't bad, but he wasn't good either.

Ander Herrera - 6

Decent, not much else to say. Has become a big figure for United in big matches, but couldn't get a hold on the game today, much like the side as a whole.

Marouane Fellaini - 3

What an absolute muppet. Was doing an alright job, but his rush of blood to the head was so ridiculous he deserves to be panned. A liability.

Henrikh Mkhitaryan - 5

Very ineffective in a side that surrenderd possesion far too much, had one great chance but fired straight at Bravo.

Anthony Martial - 4

After such an encouraging performance against Burnley he will be very disappointing with that showing. Shocking ball retention, little to no threat.

Marcus Rashford - 7

You really did feel for him tonight. Ran after everything, but had no support and horrible service. Still looked like the only threat.

***

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