Manchester United completed a Premier League season sweep of rival Manchester City on Sunday and greatly boosted its chances of qualifying for the Champions League with a 2-0 victory. Anthony Martial scored the winner 30 minutes in, and Scott McTominay scored a crazy goal in the 96th minute to stretch the club's unbeaten run to 10 games.
With Chelsea's win over Everton earlier in the day, United managed to secure three important points that keep the team just three points behind the Blues for fourth place. United kept a great run of form going with a convincing performance where the squad out-shot City, 12-7, and allowed Pep Guardiola's team to get just four shots on frame.
Both of United's goals should have been prevented by City goalkeeper Ederson, who failed to close down the near post on Martial's strike and assisted the second one by misjudging a throw in extra time.
Martial's goal in the 30th minute, which turned out to be the winner, came off a lovely lofted ball from Bruno Fernandes on a free kick, with Martial taking it perfectly. However, Ederson had the ball within his reach yet it slipped just under him. Take a look:
City continued to search for the equalizer and dominated possession in the second half, but the team was far from sharp and missed the creativity of the injured Kevin de Bruyne (shoulder). The result was never in the bag until the final minute when Ederson's blooper saw McTominay score from forty yards out with one touch:
It's such a big win for a United team that may just be turning the corner with Fernandes and Martial leading the way. For City, it's a result that in the end won't mean much in the standings, but you never want to lose to your fiercest rival.
⚽ Man. United - Martial (30')
⚽ Man. United - McTominay (90+6')
What a strike from the Red Devils! McTominay from deep after a poor throw from Ederson!!! The goalkeeper was out of the goal, and he one-touches it in from like 40 yards. Wow!
Five minutes left as City goes forward with everything they have in search of the equalizer.
Not long to go now. United playing 10 behind the ball to try and see out the final minutes. There will probably be 3-4 minutes of added time. Martial was down for a couple minutes.
Baily and McTominay in, with Williams and Martial off.
When will Manchester United make a change? 13 minutes to go and still not one sub.
United are enjoying a nice spell, and it could be 2-0 at this point. Ederson has come up big, pushing a shot from James off the crossbar!
Mahrez comes on for Bernardo SIlva, and Gabriel Jesus is on for Aguero.
Off a short corner, Foden tries his luck from 25 years with a moving shot that is knocked over the bar by an attentive De Gea!
Poor settling of the ball from Ederson sees the ball nearly roll into the net! Martial was there to try and knock it in, but the goalkeeper gets away with it!
Aguero beats De Gea with a cool finish inside the box after being played through, but the Argentine striker was correctly ruled offside. Carry on.
The second half has begun at Old Trafford!
We are at the break. It's United 1, City 0 thanks to Martial's opener. Boy, these would be three massive points for the Red Devils.
The stats tell the story so far. Seven shots for United, one for City. The Red Devils are confident and going for a second, but City is dominating possession.
It's Martial! United up 1-0 with a fine finish from Martial off a set piece. Bruno lofts a ball over the wall to the attacker, and his strike at the near post sneaks in. Ederson really could have done better with that.
Good from City there defensively as Otamendi manages to block a Martial shot after the Frenchman settled Williams' floated pass. He took an early shot with Ederson off the line.
A fine save from De Gea after Sterling settles the ball at the far side of the box off a pass from Foden. Sterling does well to settle and fires to the far post with a placed shot, but De Gea does well to push it wide.
Lots of pace in the opening minutes but still no shots. Both teams are getting deep into the attacking half, but the defenders are shining in the early moments. This one has yet to settle down.
The match has begun at Old Trafford! United in red, City in blue. Here we go!
Chelsea is six points clear after crushing Everton 4-0 more, so that means Manchester United really needs to get something from this match. A draw wouldn't be all that bad, and it isn't a must-win, but having beaten City twice so far this season will have this team confident. Expect United to play with real urgency, especially in the second half if things are level.
Harry Maguire starts after his status was up in the air with an ankle injury. Aaron Wan-Bissaka also starts for the Red Devils.
No Kevin de Bruyne for City. Here's City's XI:
Manchester United is unbeaten in its last nine with seven cleansheets, and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is ready to battle City and keep the streak going. Speaking to ManUtd.com:
"Well, you can't pick confidence out of the fridge so it just comes from performances and results and doing the right things over and over again. We'll have to do that against these because they're a fantastic team at their best. So we need to make sure that we're ready."
Manchester United: Maguire's ankle injury saw him miss the FA Cup win at Derby County on Thursday, and there is a chance United could be down to defensive starters if he can't go with Aaron Wan-Bissaka (back) doubtful for the match. Those are the team's two best defenders which likely spells disaster against the electric attack of the visitors. This could be the match that sets the tone for a run towards Champions League qualification, but without Maguire it's going to be asking much.
Manchester City: This is always a big game because it's against your biggest rival, but how serious will Guardiola take it with the clash against Real Madrid in the Champions League not far off? If City vs. Real were this Tuesday instead of next Tuesday, maybe we would see a lot of backups playing, but since the team will have time to rest, expect a strong squad. De Bruyne's situation may see him start on the bench or not play at all, but even without him this is a game City can win.
Date: Sunday, March 8 | Time: 12:30 p.m. ET
Location: Old Trafford -- Manchester, England
TV: NBC and Telemundo | Live stream: fuboTV (Try for free)
Welcome to the CBS Sports live blog of the Premier League! It's Manchester United vs. Manchester City with plenty on the line. City is looking to wrap up a spot in the top four in the coming weeks, while United can greatly boost its chances of a top-four finish with a win.
