At least it was not another abject humiliation. That was the crumb of comfort from the Manchester United point of view. In four of the previous six derbies – and that did not include the FA Cup final at the end of last season, which Manchester City won 2-1 – United had been taken apart in grisly fashion. Their supporters even had the thrill of seeing Marcus Rashford blast them into an early lead with a furious long-range drive.
It was still another defeat, another occasion when the gap to the top was mapped out in painful detail – as it was always likely to be. United’s ambition was limited to battling to stay compact and trying to nick something on the counterattack.
