Man City's midfield had a forgettable match.
After the defeat to Manchester United at Old Trafford, Man City's chances of chasing Arsenal became more fragile than ever. After the "Gunners" shared points with Nottingham Forest, the gap between the two teams has widened to 7 points. This is a very difficult gap to close when the season is entering a decisive stage.
City usually don't play well at Old Trafford, but this time they are completely overwhelmed. The home team completely controls the midfield thanks to the excellent performance of Casemiro and Kobbie Mainoo - something that has rarely happened in more than a decade.
Since Roberto Mancini's time with the strength of Yaya Toure, Man City has always built power from midfield. Names like Toure, Fernandinho, Kevin De Bruyne, Ilkay Gundogan or Rodri once turned City into a team dominating both the Premier League and Manchester derby matches.
However, that period is gradually receding.
At the present time, Rodri is almost the only remaining key player, but the Spanish midfielder has not yet reached the best physical condition after a cruciate ligament injury. Against Man United, the Rodri - Bernardo Silva - Phil Foden trio was completely inferior in the competition, unable to control the pace or support effective defense.
As a result, Man City could not deploy their familiar playing style. They lost control of the game right from midfield, were continuously pushed back and rarely created real pressure on the opponent's goal.
What happened at Old Trafford accurately reflects the situation of this season's championship race. City no longer overwhelms opponents as before, and no longer controls the game with midfield strength. And this defeat is the clearest proof of that decline.
If the midfield is not quickly rebuilt, Man City's reign in the Premier League may truly come to an end.
Red alert for Erling Haaland
The atmosphere inside Old Trafford became frenzied from the first minutes, and one of the biggest applause shone when Haaland was substituted when the match had about 10 minutes left.
It continued to be a difficult evening for the Norwegian striker. Before the match, former Man United legends such as Paul Scholes and Nicky Butt once believed that Haaland would easily overcome Lisandro Martinez, but the reality on the field showed the complete opposite. There is no doubt that the Argentine center-back is the winner in this one-on-one match.
Haaland's form is really worrying Man City. Up to now, he has only scored one goal in the last 7 matches. In 2026, the only mark of the 24-year-old striker was a penalty in the 1-1 draw with Brighton.
Throughout the season, the big question is always raised whether Man City is capable of scoring when Haaland does not achieve high efficiency or not. January contract Antoine Semenyo was brought in to share the attacking burden, but this winger almost disappeared in the derby.
Foden - one of City's stable goalscoring sources - also could not make a difference when forced to leave the field in the first half. Recently, Guardiola admitted that Haaland is overloaded after having to plow continuously since the beginning of the season.
And at Old Trafford, that is very clearly shown. Man City's number one striker lacked sharpness, lacked speed and almost did not create any real threat to Man United's defense.
