Manchester City won the last match at Old Trafford against their arch-rivals Manchester United in what was expected to be the toughest contest for them this season. They have now surged 11 points clear in the Premier League title race. That means the title race is almost over for the other teams. Even Jose Mourinho has accepted that the title race is now over for his team.
Never have they looked so better before as they equalized the Arsenal’s record of most successive victories in the league by defeating United in the Manchester Derby. They have now achieved 14 successive victories in the Premier League.
The Manchester United team was considered to be the hardest challenge for them this season and now they have defeated them on their home soil. Therefore, it seems like a legitimate question to ask now that can they go undefeated the whole season? And can they become the next invincibles after Arsenal?
It was a very tense, hard-fought game between the arch-rivals. Both teams were able to thwart the attempts of what the other wanted. The City team were able to dominate in terms of ball possession, yet the defenses of United were strong enough to give them no clear-cut chances.
The tide of the game turned when David Silva managed to convert a corner opportunity into a goal. But that set the United team on the charge, and Marcus Rashford managed to equalize the game with a fantastic goal. However, the goal by Otamendi in the 54th minute proved to be a decider as United could not score any more after that.
Previously it was the Arsenal team who went undefeated and earned themselves the accolade of the invincibles. And during their run that season, it was the Manchester United team who came closest to defeating them. Had Ruud van Nistelrooy not missed the penalty in the 90th minute, that match might not have been a draw and Arsenal would never been the invincibles.
This was an amazing spectacle by the City side who made the best team look weak at their own ground. Although, United had suffered a big blow by the absence of Paul Pogba, yet the brilliance of Guardiola’s players should not be less praised.
If we look at the season so far, they have absolutely been unstoppable. They have crushed Liverpool 5-0 at Etihad. They have thrashed Arsenal at their own home, and same was the fate of Chelsea at their home who could not fight with the might of Manchester City. All the strongest team of the Premier League so far have fallen under the spell of their dominance. The only team who have come closest to challenge them was Everton who managed to draw the game with them.
Although more than half of the games are remaining for the City side, with games in the Champions League and domestic cups that could prove to be a potential distraction in their bid for being the record-breaking team. However judging by the current standards, they are looking absolutely unstoppable.
The article was written for FootballWeeks.com by Syyed Mohi. He can always be reached via his Facebook Account