Ederson’s Blunders Gift United Bragging Rights In Manchester Derby

• It’s United 2 City 0

On the night that Manchester City’s Brazilian goalkeeper, Ederson typified his team-mates’ general sluggishness with two blunders, the English champions faltered to a 2-0 loss against their age-long rivals, Manchester United at Old Trafford

This was a derby that meant more to United than City and it showed on the pitch with the Citizens’ abysmal sloppiness all round.

For half of Sunday’s game at the Theatre of Dreams, Pep Guardiola’s men simply failed to match the home side’s intensity, with their unusual sluggishness and resulting sloppiness summed up by Ederson’s howlers.

Notoriously a cool character between the posts, the Brazilian goalkeeper and his City team-mates were just too laid back on the day and were ultimately punished, allowing United to record a Premier League double over them for the first time in 10 years courtesy of a fully deserved 2-0 win.

Ederson was culpable for both goals, letting Anthony Martial’s weak volley slip through his fingers 30 minutes in and then tossing the ball away to Scott McTominay for his injury-time strike.

He also let one backpass carelessly roll under his foot and had to scramble back to clear off the line.

United were desperate for the victory that keeps alive their hopes of sneaking into the top four and securing a return to Champions League football, while City were strangely subdued during a first-half performance that fell far below Guardiola’s high standards.

The visitors are still on course to finish as this season’s runners-up but the Premier League is the least of their priorities, with runaway leaders Liverpool having long since disappeared over the horizon, leaving City to focus on what would be a remarkable cup treble.

However, that was no excuse for such an insipid approach to the game. All Manchester derbies matter, irrespective of positions in the table, are always high-tensioned outings.

For now, it is kudos to United, having won three this season out of four meetings this season and there could even be one more to come in the FA Cup.