It was all handshakes and hugs between the two new managers, before their teams put on a thrilling display that ushered in fresh crosstown rivalry era in Manchester.
Pep Guardiola and Jose Mourinho greeted each other as cordially as possible — considering the two have had their spats over the years — but it was the end-to-end action on the pitch that ended in a 2-1 Manchester City defeat over hated rivals Manchester United that will deservedly command the post-game analysis.
In a match defined by its endless blistering pace, Kevin De Bruyne opened the scoring in the 15th minute with an impressive breakaway goal that caught United defender Daley Blind asleep at the wheel.
The Belgian, who dominated the United defense throughout the first half, was also involved in City’s second goal, as he fired a shot which ricocheted off the post straight to the feet of Kelechi Iheanacho who scored what will likely be his easiest goal of the season.
“It’s a dream come true to play in a Manchester derby, and to get the winning goal, so I am very very happy,” said the 19-year-old Nigerian striker, who appears to have solidified a spot in Guardiola’s starting 11. “I didn’t anticipate the shot, actually, but I’m happy it came off me.”
Wayne Rooney, who looked a step too slow for the lightening pace of the match, vented his frustration by shoving Guardiola midway through the first half, as the manager held the ball after it rolled out of bounds. The two shook hands afterward, however, as play resumed.
Minutes later, a mild Rooney free kick which floated outside of the six-yard box drew City’s Chilean keeper Claudio Bravo into making a calamitous mistake by coming off his line. Bravo got nowhere near the ball, which bounced straight to Zlatan Ibrahimovic, with the Swede casually thumping in his fourth goal of the season.
United’s second half substitution of Marcus Rashford for Jesse Lingard had an immediate impact, as the 18-year-old used his fresh legs to challenge City’s defenders with a series of near-misses, one which bounced into the goal off Ibrahimovic, who was loitering offside.
Nerves seemed to have gotten the better of Bravo for most of the day, as he committed what could easily have been a cardable offense by launching into a studs-up challenge with Rooney in the penalty box early in the second half. Luckily for City, referee Mark Clattenburg looked the other way.
Clattenberg returned the favor to Rooney in the 77th minute, as the United captain made a clumsy challenge of his own that deserved a yellow card but elicited nothing more than a free kick wasted by De Bruyne.
Rooney finally was given a yellow for a ridiculous challenge on Bravo, after the keeper had already cleared the ball away in the 81st minute. The two familiarized each other by exchanging words, and will undoubtedly renew their budding rivalry down the road.
Ibrahimovic had one last chance to equal the score in the third minute of extra time, but couldn’t convert, delivering Mourinho’s first loss at the helm of United.
Pre-match build-up
The pre-match hype loomed over the event as soon as the new Premier League schedule was announced in June. That’s because for the first time in recent memory, the derby featured two headliners in the managerial position. Pep Guardiola has long been announced as the new City manager, and Mourinho had been confirmed as the new Manchester United manager in May.
As managers, the two have achieved a combined total of four Champions League titles (two each) and 14 domestic league trophies (Mourinho with 8 and Guardiola 6).
Though they had met 16 times in the past, with Guardiola winning eight matches and Mourinho just three, it was Mourinho who prevailed in the two-game series as manager of Inter Milan against Pep’s Barcelona team in the 2009-10 Champions League. Inter would go on to win the tournament.
But their most famous — or infamous — matchup occurred in the second leg of the 2011 Supercopa, when Mourinho’s Real Madrid side lost to Barcelona. The physical affair saw both sets of benches empty in extra time, while Mourinho was caught on camera poking Guardiola’s assistant Tito Vilanova in the eye.