The Red Devils' revival starts with retaining Mourinho

In the locker room corridor of Manchester City Stadium (also known as Etihad Stadium), the lights seemed to be hotter and more intense than usual. Reporters in the media area were eagerly waiting, and the commentators on the sidelines were constantly sorting out information, ready to give the most professional interpretation of this derby battle at any time. As time approached the start of the game, the starting lineups of both sides were finally slowly announced on the huge electronic screen.

For the visiting Manchester United, head coach Mourinho still sent out a 4-3-3 formation starting lineup:

Goalkeeper: De Gea

Defenders: (from left to right) Theo Fernandes, Maguire (captain), Varane, Ashraf

Midfielders: (from left to right) Pogba, Verati, Matic

Forwards: (from left to right) Gakpo, Cavani, Rashford

On the bench: Romero, Dalot, Lindelof, Erling Haaland, Musiala, Olmo, Nico Williams

On the home team Manchester City side, the head coach Guardiola sent out a (4-2-3- 1) The starting lineup of the formation:

Goalkeeper: Ederson Santana de Moraes

Defenders: (from left to right) Benjamin Mendy, Aymeric Laporte, Vincent Kompany (captain), Kyle Walker

Midfielders: (from left to right) Fernandinho, Bernardo Silva, Kevin De Bruyne, Ilkay Gundogan, Riyad Mahrez

Forward: Sergio Aguero

On the bench for Manchester City: Claudio Bravo, John Stones, Gabriel Jesus, Philip Walter Foden, Raheem Sterling, Leroy Sane, Nicolas Otamendi

When the lineups of both teams were announced, the whole city seemed to be divided into a clear red ocean (Manchester United fans) and a blue ocean (Manchester City fans), and everyone was looking forward to the opening whistle of this derby.

As the referee blew the whistle, Manchester City took the lead. De Bruyne passed the ball to Aguero lightly, and the latter turned quickly and tried to break through Maguire's defense, but Maguire was experienced and stuck to Aguero, making it difficult for him to turn around. Aguero had no choice but to pass the ball back to Gundogan behind him.

Gundogan looked up and observed the situation on the field, and passed the ball to Mahrez who was inserted on the wing. After Mahrez got the ball, facing Ashraf's defense, he stopped and changed direction suddenly, trying to pass Ashraf. Ashraf reacted quickly and followed Mahrez closely, leaving no space for the opponent to cut inside. Seeing that there was no chance, Mahrez chose to pass the ball back to Walker who followed.

Walker did not hesitate and kicked the ball directly to Aguero in the penalty area. Aguero jumped high and tried to head the ball, but Varane jumped at the critical moment and successfully headed the ball out of the penalty area.

The ball fell to De Bruyne's feet, and he made a slight adjustment and shot directly from a distance. De Gea was fully focused and flew to save the ball from going out of bounds. Manchester City got a corner kick.

De Bruyne took the corner kick, Kompany jumped high in the penalty area and headed the ball. Unfortunately, the ball was slightly higher than the crossbar. Manchester City's opening attack was very threatening, but failed to score.

Manchester United was not to be outdone and quickly launched a counterattack. Pogba took the ball in the midfield, made a beautiful turn to get rid of Fernandinho's defense, and then passed the ball to Rashford in front.

Rashford dribbled the ball at high speed. Facing Mendy's defense, he cleverly dunked the ball to the inside and then accelerated to break through. Mendy hurried back, and Laporte also quickly made up for the defense. Rashford saw that there was no chance to shoot, so he passed the ball horizontally to Cavani who followed up in the middle.

Cavani shot directly at the ball, but the ball was too straight and was firmly held by Ederson.

Then, Manchester United continued to organize the attack. Verratti sent a precise long pass in the midfield and found Gakpo on the wing. Gakpo used his speed and skills to get rid of Kyle Walker's defense and cross the ball.

The ball accurately found Maguire in the penalty area, and Maguire headed the ball, but unfortunately the ball hit the post and flew out of the bottom line, and Manchester United missed a great opportunity.

Manchester City regained control of the ball. Silva and Gundogan made a series of short passes in the midfield, tearing open Manchester United's midfield defense. Silva passed the ball to Mahrez, who cut inside and shot a curved ball, but the ball was saved by De Gea again.

De Gea quickly threw the ball to launch a counterattack, and Theo Fernandes quickly advanced after receiving the ball and made a two-on-one cooperation with Rashford. Theo Fernandes broke into the penalty area and shot, but the ball was blocked by Laporte and went out of the bottom line.

Manchester United won a corner kick, Pogba took the corner kick, and Cavani was inIn the penalty area, the ball was headed and punched out by Ederson.

The game was very intense, and the players from both sides fought fiercely in the midfield. Matic and Fernandinho both fell to the ground in a fight, and the referee signaled the game to continue.

Manchester City's attack was one wave higher than the other. De Bruyne once again sent a penetrating through pass, and Aguero received the ball and formed a single knife, but his shot was blocked by De Gea with his legs.

Then, Gundogan tried a long shot outside the penalty area, and the ball went over the crossbar.

On the Manchester United side, Rashford made a cross after breaking through the wing, and Gakpo's header was cleared by Kompany on the goal line.

As the first half of the game was coming to an end, Manchester City launched the final fierce attack. Mahrez made a cross after breaking through on the right, and Aguero's header was again saved by De Gea.

Then, De Bruyne shot directly from a free kick, and the ball hit the wall and bounced out.

At the end of the first half, both teams drew, but the game was very exciting. Both teams created many threatening offensive opportunities, but none of them turned into goals.

Players from both teams dragged their tired bodies into the locker room, and the air was filled with tension and expectation.

In the Manchester United locker room, head coach Mourinho looked solemn. He folded his hands in front of his chest and looked at each player in turn.

"Guys, we did a good job in defense in the first half, but we were not sharp enough on the offensive end." Mourinho's voice was steady and powerful. "Theo Fernandes and Ashraf, you must break through more resolutely on both sides and create more pressure on the opponent's defense. Maguire, as the captain, you must better command the defense and keep it compact."

Mourinho walked to the tactical board, picked up a pen and quickly sketched. "Pogba, your passes should be more varied, and don't always be predicted by the opponent. Verratti and Matic, the interception in the midfield should be more fierce, and Manchester City should not be easily passed through the midfield. Gakpo, go into the penalty area more often and look for opportunities. Cavani and Rashford, pay attention to the cooperation between each other and seize the loopholes in the opponent's defense."

The players listened attentively, and sweat slid down their cheeks.

"Remember, we are Manchester United, we can't be afraid of the opponent. In the second half, we must play with momentum and control the game!" Mourinho encouraged the players loudly.

On the other side, in the Manchester City locker room, Guardiola was also making tactical arrangements.

"We created a lot of opportunities in the first half, but we need to improve our finishing." Guardiola's tone was a little anxious. "Mendy and Walker, your attack on the wing should be more layered, not just a simple cross. Laporte and Kompany, pay attention to the defense of high balls." Guardiola pointed to the tactical board, "Fernandinho and Gundogan, control the rhythm of the midfield and create more space for De Bruyne and Silva. Mahrez, you should be more decisive in your breakthrough. Aguero, be more flexible in the penalty area and seize every opportunity." "We are at home and can't let Manchester United steal the limelight. In the second half, we must strengthen our offense and score as soon as possible!" Guardiola looked at the players with a firm look. The short fifteen minutes passed quickly, and the players of both sides re-entered the Etihad Stadium, ready to face a more intense battle in the second half. At the beginning of the second half, Manchester City showed a strong desire to attack. The ball was at De Bruyne's feet, and he was like a sharp sword, quickly breaking through Manchester United's midfield defense. Seeing this, Matic rushed up without hesitation to fight for the ball. The two men collided violently, and the ball at their feet was fought back and forth.

De Bruyne tried to get rid of Matic with flexible dribbling, while Matic tightly entangled with his tenacious defensive awareness. In this fierce confrontation, De Bruyne suddenly fell to the ground, holding his ankle in pain.

Manchester City's team doctor quickly rushed into the field, and the atmosphere of the entire stadium instantly became tense. Manchester City's players gathered around, with concerns written all over their faces. After the team doctor's preliminary examination, De Bruyne's injury was not optimistic. In the end, with the help of his teammates, he limped off the field.

In the 50th minute, Manchester City youth player Philip Walter Foden replaced midfielder Kevin De Bruyne.

Manchester City fans sighed, knowing the importance of De Bruyne to the team. Manchester United's players took this opportunity to quickly adjust their tactics and prepare to launch a counterattack.

Without De Bruyne, Manchester City's attacking rhythm slowed down a bit, but it still maintained a strong offensive power. Aguero received a pass from Silva in the frontcourt and turned to shoot, but unfortunately the ball was slightly off the goal.

Manchester United was not to be outdone. Rashford used his speed to break through Walker's defense on the wing and then passed the ball. Cavani jumped high in the penalty area.

Manchester City immediately launched a counterattack. Mahrez cut inside with the ball, made a two-on-one match with Gundogan, and shot. De Gea reacted quickly and saved the ball from the bottom line.

A corner kick was taken, Kompany headed the ball in the penalty area, but the ball went high.

The game became more and more intense, and the physical strength of the players on both sides was rapidly consumed.

Manchester United's midfielder Pogba tried to control the rhythm of the game. He kept passing the ball and organizing, looking for loopholes in Manchester City's defense. Verratti actively ran on the side to provide support for his teammates.

Manchester City's Fernandinho strengthened the interception in the midfield, preventing Manchester United from easily passing through the midfield.

In the 50th minute, Manchester United launched a quick counterattack. Gakpo received a long pass from Matic in the frontcourt and dribbled straight into the Manchester City penalty area. Mendy hurried back, Gakpo made a fake move to shake Mendy, and then shot. The ball hit the post and bounced out, and Manchester City escaped.

Manchester City quickly launched a counterattack. Aguero received Silva's wonderful pass at the front of the penalty area and shot directly. De Gea made another wonderful save and lifted the ball over the crossbar.

As time went on, the game came to the 65th minute.

Manchester City attacked, and the ball came to De Bruyne's area again, but he was no longer on the court. Gundogan tried to break through after getting the ball, but was successfully intercepted by Matic. Matic quickly passed the ball to Rashford in front after intercepting.

Rashford ran with the ball, and Manchester City's defensive players quickly returned to defense. Laporte followed closely behind Rashford, not giving him a chance to shoot.

Rashford had no choice but to pass the ball back to Pogba who followed up. Pogba made a slight adjustment and shot a long shot, but the ball went over the crossbar.

At this moment, Manchester City organized another attack. Silva passed the ball to Mahrez, who broke through with the ball, and Matic hurried over to defend. During the fight, Matic accidentally stepped on Mahrez's foot, and Mahrez fell to the ground in pain.

The referee blew the whistle and awarded Manchester City a free kick.

The free kick was taken, and Varane headed the ball away.

The game continued, and Manchester City's attack was still fierce. Aguero received a cross from Silva in the penalty area and headed the ball, but the ball was firmly held by De Gea.

Manchester United was also looking for opportunities. Cavani received a pass from Pogba in the frontcourt, turned and shot, and the ball was saved by Ederson.

A corner kick was taken, and Maguire headed the ball in the penalty area, and the ball was slightly higher than the crossbar.

Just when the two sides were deadlocked, during an attack by Manchester City, the ball was passed into the penalty area. Matic competed for a header with Aguero who rushed up, and the two collided in the air. After landing, Matic fell to the ground in pain and couldn't get up for a long time.

Manchester United's team doctor quickly entered the field. After a simple treatment, Matic could not continue the game and was carried off the field on a stretcher.

In the 65th minute, Manchester United replaced the injured Matic.

At this time, the physical strength of the players on both sides was close to the limit, but they were still fighting for victory. The game was still going on, and both sides knew that every minute in the future might determine the outcome of the game.

The atmosphere at the Etihad Stadium was extremely tense. The fierce battle between Manchester United and Manchester City had come to the 78th minute, and the score was still 0:0, but every moment on the field could change the situation.

At this time, Manchester City was in control of the ball and launched a wave of attacks. Gundogan passed the ball to Mahrez, who tried to break through Manchester United's defense, but his pass was accurately predicted by Theo Fernandez and successfully intercepted the ball.

Theo Fernandez was like a flash of lightning, moving forward quickly with the ball. His speed and explosive power made it difficult for Manchester City players to catch up. In a blink of an eye, he had broken through to the vicinity of the midfield.

Manchester City's players quickly returned to defense, trying to stop Theo Fernandez's advance. But he relied on his excellent dribbling skills and flexible changes of direction to get past the opponent's interception again and again.

Theo Fernandez rushed all the way to the opponent's bottom line. Manchester City's defensive players followed closely, forming a solid line of defense. But Theo Fernandez was not afraid at all. He saw the opportunity, made a sudden stop and changed direction, and shook off the last defensive player.

Near the bottom line, Theo Fernandez raised his head, observed the situation in the penalty area, and then made a precise cross. The football drew an arc and flew to the center of the goal.

Cavani had been waiting in the penalty area for a long time. With his keen sense of smell in front of the goal and excellent ability to grab points, he got rid of the defense of the Manchester City defender. Facing the flying football, Cavani jumped high and made a powerful header.

The ball flew towards the goal like a cannonball, and Edson SantanaNadal Morais tried to save the ball, but the ball was too fast and the angle was too tricky, so it went into the net.

The whole stadium fell into silence, and then Manchester United fans burst into deafening cheers. Cavani ran towards Theo Fernandez excitedly, and his teammates also rushed from the backcourt, hugging each other tightly to celebrate this hard-earned goal.

In the Manchester United coaching bench, the coach and substitute players also jumped up excitedly and hugged each other to celebrate. Manchester City's players seemed a little frustrated and lost.