There was a month between United’s last Premier League outing against Arsenal and their 6-3 defeat to Manchester City.

It could be argued that the cancelled fixtures deflated the momentum that United had built up, but a flawed game plan and individual errors played right into the hands of City.

In the first, half United started poorly, something you cannot afford to do against City. Forwards and midfielders lacked composure, failing to hold up the ball and giving it away with stray passes.

Guardiola’s side probably couldn’t believe just how easy United made it for them in the first half, making light work of Ten Hag’s men who had been on an upward trajectory in the run-up to the Manchester Derby.

At halftime, it was 4-0 City. Haaland and Foden both grabbed a brace. They were both tremendous but the space they were allowed to operate in was amateur from United. Eriksen has been a revelation since joining in the summer, but his defensive attributes have never been his strong point.

This was highlighted in the match, not tracking Foden’s run for the first, then being given the duty of marking Haaland on a corner for the second and finally not fouling Kevin De Bruyne in the build-up for City’s third.

The whole of the blame doesn’t land squarely on Eriksen though, as the entire squad let themselves down. The four-man press of Sancho, Rashford, Bruno and Antony was as effective as a wet flannel on a bush fire. Ake and Akanji played through United’s front line with little to no resistance, making it easy for City to build up their attacks.

Meanwhile, United’s fullbacks were outnumbered, receiving little support from their wingers.

It completely contrasts the display against Arsenal, where United was mature and soaked up pressure very well, often showcasing some intricate build-up play. However, it was much more desperate against City, trying to play the killer pass and squandering possession. It called for cooler heads and retaining the ball to frustrate the home side.

For anyone who has ever played football at any level, if you ever find yourself 4-0 down at halftime, there is often a call to ‘Win the second half.’ A hopeful ploy to inspire a turnaround.

I wonder if any of the United team adopted this tactic, as United did just that. Winning the second half 3-2 or losing the whole match 6-3 if you want to be pessimistic about it. At least the goals from Antony and Martial made the scoreline look slightly more respectable. Slightly.

It’s always demoralising losing a derby, especially when two of the opposition players score a hat-trick. Making the score sheet resemble something you’d expect to see on FIFA 23 as opposed to a Premier League fixture. Nevertheless, United must pick themselves up and go again. A couple of wins will make this look like a freak result and recent displays have at least suggested there is something positive being built under Ten Hag.

United travel to Everton next, likely to be without Varane following a suspected sprain picked up in the derby defeat. Other tweaks are rumoured to be introduced with Casemiro likely to be given his first Premier League start.

Ten Hag will now need to go back to the drawing board and find a way to motivate his team once more. It isn’t the first time this season he’s had to inspire his team to bounce back from a defeat where they trailed 4-0 at halftime. Hopefully, it will be the last time.

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