The smallest man on the pitch delivered a dramatic twist to one of the worst Manchester derbies in recent memory, as Pep Guardiola’s struggling champions continued their decline.
City had been leading 1-0 through Josko Gvardiol’s first-half header, but with just two minutes remaining, Amad earned a penalty, which Bruno Fernandes confidently converted to level the score. Amad then stunned the crowd with a last-minute winner, sealing an unexpected victory for United.
For Guardiola, this defeat marks just one win in their last 11 matches, leaving his side sitting below Nottingham Forest—the only team they’ve beaten in this dismal run—and out of the Champions League spots. Meanwhile, United’s manager Ruben Amorim celebrated a remarkable triumph, having made the bold decision to leave Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho out of his matchday squad.
This Manchester derby, widely considered the worst in decades, lived up to its billing for most of the match. It was a disjointed spectacle of two clubs that have both fallen from their former glory, with little to suggest world-class talent on the pitch.
Manchester’s powerhouses, once synonymous with dominance, are now mired in mediocrity, with both teams struggling to recapture their former strength. United, in particular, will hope the fallout from this derby yields better results than the previous one, when they won the FA Cup but made the costly decision to stick with Erik ten Hag.
On paper, United’s team sheet seemed to confirm the state of crisis, with Amorim omitting Rashford and Garnacho, making a statement of no-nonsense management. Meanwhile, City’s ever-growing injury list continued to haunt them, and Guardiola may soon find himself fielding £100million Jack Grealish in an attempt to patch up his squad.
It’s been at least 35 years since this fixture felt so bleak for both sides. On the trams before the match, City fans reminisced about past struggles, telling younger supporters stories of their Third Division days when a run of “one win in ten” was normal.
For United, the mood had been slightly lifted by a Europa League win over Viktoria Plzen, but that victory did little to mask the reality. For the first 30 minutes of the derby, both teams looked far from their best, with United arguably edging the opening exchanges, though Amad’s offside positioning didn’t help matters.
