Manchester City's 21-game winning run came to an end at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday afternoon as Manchester United recorded a 2-0 victory in the Manchester derby.
The Citizens were attempting to put a 16th straight Premier League win on the board, but the visitors scored twice without reply to secure an impressive three points.
Pep Guardiola's side are still 11 points clear of their bitter rivals at the summit, but the win has moved Man United back into second and now eight points clear of fifth-placed Everton in the race for Champions League football.
The Red Devils make the breakthrough in just the second minute of the clash when Bruno Fernandes scored from the penalty spot after Anthony Martial had been brought to the ground by Gabriel Jesus.
Man City had a lot of the ball as the first half developed but opportunities were limited, with the away side boasting a one-goal lead at the interval.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side doubled their lead in the early stages of the second period, though, when Luke Shaw picked out the bottom corner of the net at the conclusion of a fast break.
The home side had a number of opportunities in the latter stages, but the 20-time English champions held on to pick up a famous win and return to second position in the table ahead of Leicester City.
HIGHLIGHTS
1st min: Man United are awarded a penalty inside the first minute as fit-again Martial is brought to the ground by Jesus, with the Man City striker making a clumsy challenge inside the area.
2nd min: Man United make the breakthrough in the second minute of the contest as Fernandes finds the bottom corner from the penalty spot; Ederson managed to get a hand on the ball but was unable to prevent it from finding the back of the net.
It's a dream start for United at the Etihad! 💭
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) March 7, 2021
Bruno Fernandes 𝙟𝙪𝙨𝙩 beats Ederson from the spot after Gabriel Jesus had upended Anthony Martial! 😅
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4th min: Big chance for the away side to score a second as Shaw finds himself free inside the box, but the left-back fires straight into the gloves of Ederson during a tough period for the hosts.
9th min: Decent stop from Dean Henderson to keep out a strike from Ilkay Gundogan as Man City just start to move the ball following a poor start from the league leaders.
17th min: Half-chance for Man United as Fred feeds Marcus Rashford in a dangerous position, but the England international fires his effort into the arms of Ederson.
19th min: Gundogan turns and fires over the away side's crossbar during a period where the league leaders are just starting to move the ball at a quicker pace.
24th min: Smart save from Henderson to keep out a strike from Oleksandr Zinchenko as the home side continue to move the ball in the final third of the field. Man City have a shout for a penalty moments before as Raheem Sterling goes down under a challenge from Fred, but the referee is not interested.
33rd min: Harry Maguire goes through Jesus with a strong challenge, and the referee is quickly on the scene to produce a yellow card; VAR have a look for a possible red, but the yellow stands.
38th min: Gundogan breaks into the Man United box and looks to dig a strike out from behind him, but Henderson is on hand to make a relatively comfortable save.
43rd min: De Bruyne's free kick from distance is just tipped over the crossbar by Henderson, who was not prepared to take any chances with the strike.
46th min: Opportunity for Man City to level as Riyad Mahrez finds space inside the Man United box, but the attacker's effort is just wide of the far post, with Jesus, who was flying in, unable to get a touch on the ball.
48th min: Rodri rattles the crossbar for the home side, with the Spaniard attempting to pick out the top corner with a powerful strike in the early stages of the second period.
50th min: Man United double their lead in the 50th minute of the contest as a fast break ends with Rashford feeding Shaw, who manages to pick out the far corner with a left-footed finish.
City have it all to do now! 😮
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) March 7, 2021
Luke Shaw's first goal since March 2020 has doubled United's lead at the Etihad! 🔴
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55th min: The visitors have an opportunity to score a third as Martial drives into a dangerous position before feeding James, but the Welshman's effort is deflected over the crossbar.
58th min: Big chance for Man United to score a third as the ball breaks for Martial inside the Man City box, but the Frenchman heads into the arms of Ederson from close range.
64th min: VAR has a look at a possible handball from Shaw inside the Man United box, but the play continues, and the away side are straight up on the other end on a counter-attack.
68th min: Huge chance for Man United to score a third as the ball breaks for Martial inside the Man City box, but the Frenchman fires his effort straight at Ederson.
Big save from Ederson! 🖐
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) March 7, 2021
Anthony Martial has a golden chance to put United out of sight but is denied by the City 'keeper! 😮
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75th min: Big opportunity for Man City as a clever move involving Phil Foden ends with the England international spinning inside the Man United box before shooting, but the youngster's effort is wide.
79th min: Kyle Walker delivers a wonderful cross into Sterling, but the England international just cannot make contact as Man United escape conceding at a key moment of the match.
82nd min: Excellent defending from second-half substitute Mason Greenwood to clear under the feet of Foden, who was threatening to halve the deficit.
85th min: Another chance for Sterling as a dangerous cross from De Bruyne finds the head of the attacker, but he heads wide of the post under a little bit of pressure from Victor Lindelof.
87th min: Flick-on from Gundogan at the near post, but the ball just would not fall for Stones at the far post, and the seconds tick on as the final whistle draws closer.
96th min: Smart save from Henderson to keep out a strike from Mahrez, and the final whistle blows shortly after as Man United pick up a huge win.
No way through for City this afternoon! ❌
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) March 7, 2021
Manchester United's stand-in 'keeper Dean Henderson preserves his clean sheet in the final stages. 🖐
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MAN OF THE MATCH - LUKE SHAW
© Reuters
Shaw has arguably been the standout left-back in the Premier League this season, and the Englishman was again in excellent form during Sunday's Manchester derby.
The former Southampton youngster scored a wonderful goal to double Man United's advantage early in the second period, while he was also defensively superb against a very dangerous Man City attack.
STANDOUT MOMENT
© Reuters
Jesus's clumsy challenge on Martial allowed Man United to make the breakthrough in the very early moments; it was the perfect start for the visitors, but Jesus will not look back on the incident too fondly.
The Brazilian was so determined to regain possession that he tripped Martial, and it was certainly a standout moment in the Manchester derby as the visitors could build on the early goal.
BEST STAT
1 – Among the 67 managers Pep Guardiola has faced more than three times across all competitions as a top-flight boss, Ole Gunnar Solskjær is the only one to have beaten the Spaniard (4) more often that he has lost to Guardiola (3). Devil. pic.twitter.com/RKl7lhGLJq
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) March 7, 2021
MATCH STATS
Possession: Man City 66%-34% Man United
Shots: Man City 23-8 Man United
Shots on target: Man City 6-6 Man United
Corners: Man City 6-2 Man United
Fouls: Man City 9-12 Man United
LINEUPS
MAN CITY (4-3-3): Ederson; Cancelo (Walker 65'), Dias, Stones, Zinchenko; De Bruyne, Rodri, Gundogan; Mahrez, Jesus (Foden 70'), Sterling
MAN UNITED (4-2-3-1): Henderson; Wan-Bissaka, Lindelof, Maguire, Shaw; McTominay, Fred; Rashford (Greenwood 73'), Fernandes (Williams 93'), James; Martial (Matic 88')
Matt Law
