This may well go down as one of the most shameful derby defeats in Manchester United’s long history. They are the Damned United on this spineless evidence. By the end it was a capitulation, a collapse, a collective embarrassment with Manchester City utterly humiliating them.
It really did look like United had given up or maybe, more charitably, they were just run ragged and although their former captain, turned pundit, Roy Keane is never slow to use harsh language his verdict of “unforgivable” had resonance. This deserves a reckoning and yet another realisation of how far they have fallen behind.
There have been so many mistakes made at United over the past decade but going into this crucial encounter with a formation that allowed free rein to Kevin de Bruyne added to that woeful list.
The City captain scored twice, with Riyad Mahrez scoring two more, to re-establish their lead at the top of the table back to six points and with that severely damage United’s more modest hopes of simply finishing in the top four and qualifying for the Champions League.
United now find themselves down to fifth, not just a point behind Arsenal but having also played three games more and if this was a good day for De Bruyne it was a wretched one for the man wearing the United armband. Harry Maguire’s season has fallen apart, he looks forlorn, bereft of belief and he was ‘nutmegged’ for two goals with a third deflecting off him.
KDB scores his, and City's, second - EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
Maguire was given a torrid time by Phil Foden, excelling as a ‘false nine’. Maguire also cynically hacked down De Bruyne, in an admission that he could not compete, and was booked as the midfielder yet again skipped past him.
But Maguire was not alone. United’s defence looked scared. They were simply awful: Victor Lindelof, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Alex Telles. What an expensive bunch of misfits although neither were they helped by the tactics of interim manager Ralf Ranfnick who started with Paul Pogba, who he withdrew after an hour, and Bruno Fernandes as his furthest players forward and thereby allowing vast swathes of the pitch for City to exploit – which they duly did. They probably could not believe their luck.
Which coaching manual suggests it is a good idea to stretch your own team, to not remain compact or shield your defence and allow the best possession team in Europe time and space on the ball? Playing 4-2-4, at times, against City… really?
But that is what United attempted or, possibly, how the players interpreted it. Do they really care? There was no Cristiano Ronaldo and no Edinson Cavani and with Marcus Rashford on the bench until he replaced Pogba: this appeared an astonishing solution.
United tried to ‘cheat’ and keep up to four players forward but although they were more of a threat in the first half it emphatically did not work – and never looked like working - and, for that, Rangnick has questions to answer as he contemplates the prospect of failing in the minimum requirement he was set: finishing fourth. He played into Pep Guardiola’s hands in a game United could not afford to lose with the outstanding De Bruyne departing to a standing ovation as he was substituted.
The opening goal summed it all up. While everyone was trying to work out United’s set-up – including it seemed the United players themselves – possession was cheaply given away, Jack Grealish and Bernardo Silva combined, the latter easily surged past Lindelof and cut the ball back for De Bruyne to finish.
Jadon Sancho celebrates scoring against his old club - Ash Donelon/Manchester United via Getty Images
Attention focused on Maguire, who was slow to react, but the fault also lay with Jadon Sancho and Fernandes who stood on the edge of the penalty area watching it all happen, and Telles who responded too late. None of them had the gumption to track De Bruyne who claimed his 50th Premier League goal and would soon have his 51st.
Before that, though, United scored a fine goal of their own and if Rangnick may use it as evidence that his tactics could work it was soon overwhelmed. Still it was Pogba staying up field that sprung United forward as he swept a cross field pass to Jadon Sancho. The former City winger ran at the defence with Fernandes’ intelligent decoy run pulling Kyle Walker across and allowing Sancho to cut inside and arc a fine right-foot shot around Rodri and into the corner of the goal.
Sancho would later balloon over but that was it from United; that goal was the one highlight. Otherwise they were overwhelmed and holding on. After Foden looped a header onto the crossbar he wonderfully flicked the ball over Lindelof, chested it forward and although his shot was parried by David De Gea, with Bernardo’s follow-up also blocked it rebounded off Telles to De Bruyne who steadied himself and drove City back into the lead.
Manchester City's Riyad Mahrez crisp strike for the third - Action Images via Reuters
The traffic was one way. Foden dragged two shots across goal, Mahrez drew an alert one-handed save from De Gea before shooting over and it appeared a matter of time before they would score again. And so it proved. And so, once more, United were culpable as De Bruyne played a corner deep with Mahrez meeting it sweetly beyond the far post to half volley past De Gea. To add to Maguire’s awful afternoon it deflected off him. Mahrez’s technique was as sound as United’s marking was suspect as he stood on his own, unmarked. Inside the area. Rangnick claimed it was a goal that was almost possible to defend. Well, you could try marking.
Of course this City side can beat anyone but what followed was the most alarming thing for United. They simply folded. De Gea repelled efforts, others were missed before substitute Ilkay Gundogan threaded the ball through to Mahrez who ran on and thumped it into the net off the goalkeeper’s face to add to his misery. Initially it was pulled up for offside but it was overturned after a Var check to complete United’s distress and a thoroughly convincing league double for City. ‘Mind the gap’ as their bouncing fans sang.
Manchester derby, as it happened:
07:25 PM
Ralf Rangnick
"We had our moments in the first half. Conceded two easy goals. Once the third goes in it is very difficult against the best side in the world. A difficult day, that shows we still have some steps to go to close the gap."
"You have to be in sprinting mode, which we did in the first half but when they scored the third..."
"Their third goal was a brilliant freekick, almost impossible to defend. We were struggling in the second half. If you attack them then they could score four or five.
"I don't know when I will have Cavani and Ronaldo back. I have to wait and see.
"Yes, in the second half we did see the gulf. Yes there is a gap. This was one of the most difficult games we had to play. We will do everything to win our next two games."
07:21 PM
Pep seems well pleased
PEP 💬 We struggled to make a better build up, to bring it in their half. In the first half we scored some actions on the counter attack. They did really well. We felt from the first minute of the second half, we had the game in control. pic.twitter.com/hGybutlYfi
duelling banjos this. "Shameful. Any time Manchester United play a half decent team they lose."
"Spiritless, walking around the pitch for the last 25 minutes. 92% possession is unheard of, unforgivable. You have got to fight to the end, represent the club. Spiritless, appalling.
"They have been papering over the cracks for the last few months. They have got a billion pound squad, when you play against Brighton or Watford then you are going to have enough.
"I would not call the dressing room broken but it won't be far off. They went missing, a lot of them, and they did not want to be out there."
"They tried the 4-2-2-2 but that actually ended up with four in midfield and that left Pogba and Fernandes, two central midfielders, up top and maybe RR tried to be too clever. It felt to me like he was being a tactical show off a little bit. But then again, when he had Rashford up front in a more traditional system that didn't work either."
"I think he could really unload on some of them in there."
07:01 PM
Oh here's the whole Keane bit
🗣 "These guys it's all about how am I looking, am I looking the part? Are my boots nice? Hows my hair looking? Just play the game." 🤬
Roy Keane goes full box-office with an explosive rant about Manchester United pic.twitter.com/lRUBs1nyTB
"I wanted more aggression from United. That does not come from the manager, the coaching, the fans. It should be in your DNA. I don't know who is running that dressing room."
"These guys it's all, ooh do my boots look good is my hair good, they have given up. They'll be making statements about how they have to do better via their (personal management/PR) teams on Twitter and all that rubbish. What you do on the pitch is what interests me."
It's a whole cottage industry, a secondary market - the Roy n Gurreh Man U Outrage Show. And very enjoyable it is too.
"I forgive mistakes, but you have to run back. You have to put your body on the line. But there are five or six in there who should never play for Man United again. They gave up. Shame on them."
06:26 PM
Full time: Man City 4 Man United 1
That's it. United did quite well in the first half but the gulf in class was apparent after the half, and City have given them a beating , certainly in that last half hour or so. "Manchester United finished like an absolute shower," says Gary Neville. "That's the first time [Rangnick's United] have come up against a proper team, and they have been given a proper doing."
On that happy note, let's get to Jason's match report!
06:24 PM
90+ mins: Man City 4 Man United 1
Thunderous finish from Mahrez there, richly deserved for him and indeed for City. 4-1 a more accurate reflection, certainly since half time.
06:22 PM
GOAL! Man City 4 Man United 1 (Mahrez 90)
Mahrez has the ball as he drives into the box. Smashes it past the keeper. Given as offside on first look but VAR is getting involved. Could it be that Telles is playing him on? It's a matter of inches, and it hinges on the right boot of Telles.... that might be onside, you know!
It is! Goal given!
06:20 PM
89 mins: Man City 3 Man United 1
Gary continues to weep into his Official Manchester Reds Thermos as Grealish gets to the byline, and pulls it back to Gundogan. The Gun Dog fluffs the shot. City's shooting has been quite poor actually. If they had a penalty box predator this would have been 7-1.
City have had 92% of the ball in the last 15 minutes.
"United have given up. They are walking around the pitch. It is nowhere near good enough," Gary Neville preparing for the Bob Willis role. "It is not the score, it is the reponse to going 3-1 down that is the problem for me. They have thrown the towel in."
06:16 PM
84 mins: Man City 3 Man United 1
Corner. B Silva with a thunderous effort from the edge of the box, charged down by Wan-Bissaka.
06:15 PM
83 mins: Man City 3 Man United 1
Cancelo has the ball down the left. McTominay is raging, I reckon he might do a bad foul shortly.
Cancelo tries a spectacular from the edge of the area.
City fans are doing the Poznan.
06:14 PM
79 mins: Man City 3 Man United 1
Kevin DB will have to settle for two goals. His side are passing United to DEATH at the moment but Pep takes the skipper off. Gundogan the replacement.
06:12 PM
77 mins: Man City 3 Man United 1
Here's Schmeichel (the goalie Peter, not goalie Kasper, nor the dog of the kid on Corrie) on the BBC: "We are watching two teams in different quality. Apart from the moment when Sancho scored, City have been in total control of everything, led by the captain Kevin De Bruyne. Man for man, they are an incredible team; Man Utd have no answers."
06:11 PM
76 mins: Man City 3 Man United 1
Mahrez goes close again
United with a break. Fred is hunted down and stopped by Phil Foden and Bernardo Silva. The team's collective appetite for work is superb. No coasters.
06:09 PM
75 mins: Man City 3 Man United 1
City just so good. So many ways for them to win. They've been alternating between passing it around at the back and frustrating United, and then making this rapier thrusts.
06:04 PM
70 mins: Man City 3 Man United 1
City looking to pile on the pain. Mahrez, lethal since the interval, cuts in again from the right and hits one.
Will City go for the humiliation? Or sit on this two-goal cushion?
06:01 PM
69 mins: Man City 3 Man United 1
Marcus Rashford, on as a sub, with an exciting run into the area. Where's the support? Nowhere. Marcus, alone, tries to dance through but runs out of steam.
05:59 PM
GOAL! Man City 3 Man United 1 (Mahrez 68)
They hit the corner deep from the left, Mahrez arrives on the diagonal from the corner of the area. Mahrez arrives with perfect timing and hits it deliciously on the half volley.
Manchester City's Riyad Mahrez crisp strike for the third - Action Images via Reuters
Oh yes. Lovely hit.
Goodness me, slight deflection but that’s an exquisite finish from @Mahrez22. A proper half volley.
Cancelo powers forward. Again it's down Wan-B's side. Poor chap will need a sit down after this. City win their seventh corner.
05:53 PM
63 mins: Man City 2 Man United 1
Harry Maguire has clattered the breaking KDB with a late hard tackle that has got yellow written all over it.
05:53 PM
61 mins: Man City 2 Man United 1
De Bruyne, on a hat-trick and wearing the armband, pulls rank on the freekick-taking detail. Hits it hard and low through the wall. But stopped.
05:51 PM
60 mins: Man City 2 Man United 1
Mahrez coming to the fore. Switches to the centre now. Cut down on the edge of the box. Freekick.
05:50 PM
58 mins: Man City 2 Man United 1
Ominous few minutes for United. And KDB hadn't even been all that involved...
Odd thing about Kevin De Bruyne. Not sure if it's way United are playing him but whenever he has the ball space just seems to open up around him. Way more than any other player. Amazing ability to conjure up thin air.
City have a freekick not far from the corner flag. It's pulled back and, amusingly, referee Michael Oliver steps over the ball, making it look like he was involved in the training ground design of the move. Mahrez hits the ball well over.
05:46 PM
54 mins: Man City 2 Man United 1
Warning signs all over the show for United now.
Foden the latest to drive forward and put the sketchy United defence on the back foot. Foden very nearly slips the ball into Grealish but McTominay gets himself in the way.
05:45 PM
53 mins: Man City 2 Man United 1
Lovely from Jack Grealish as he gets it on halfway, runs, watches it open up and frees Mahrez. His cross is cut out.
05:41 PM
50 mins: Man City 2 Man United 1
Foden shoulder barges Wan-B off the ball there. He's totally beasted him! Dominated him. The spoils of this war for Foden are the ball, he drives into the area with it, hits his shot across goal. Well wide.
05:39 PM
48 mins: Man City 2 Man United 1
Wanners-Bissakers looks to have had a momentary lapse there, loses out, and City are nearly in. KDB cannot quite find the right angle for the shot.
A foul from, I believe, Bruno F on Laporte gives City a chance to deliver a ball into the box. If you can imagine such a crude approach. It's knocked down and City have a shot, charged down.
05:36 PM
46 mins: Man City 2 Man United 1
Right then. We are back underway. City have the ball and are stroking it around at the back.
05:26 PM
Support
Banner boys - Action Images via Reuters
05:25 PM
Derby day
Manchester City fan with a half and half scarf - Action Images via Reuters
Sunglasses in the disco?
05:19 PM
HALF TIME: Man City 2 Man United 1
Very enjoyable fare so far.
05:19 PM
45+ mins: Man City 2 Man United 1
United finishing the stronger. Important block from John Stones, at the cost of a corner. United cannot capitalise and the ref brings an end to this 48+ minute half.
05:18 PM
45+ mins: Man City 2 Man United 1
City break again, again it's their skipper De Bruyne. More in the break this time but Kev shows too much of that to Harry Maguire. Good tackle from Harold.
05:16 PM
43 mins: Man City 2 Man United 1
This Telles is having a hard time. City down the right now, Mahrez with a dangerous run, cuts inside and leaves Telles for dust. Decent low effort and once again David De Gea is the saviour.
05:12 PM
41 mins: Man City 2 Man United 1
That's a nice move from MUFC. Lindelof with the ball forward. Smart work from Fernandes as he lays it off to Sancho. Oh no! He's hoofed a really good chance over.
05:11 PM
40 mins: Man City 2 Man United 1
United lose it. Pogba the guilty party. De Bruyne leads the break and slips Foden through in the inside left channel. Phil surges forward and hits a shot across the keeper but that is always going to go wide. De Gea got his angles right and there was no beating him from there.
05:08 PM
37 mins: Man City 2 Man United 1
The cause of that appears to have been resolved. Michael Oliver calls the players to order and we will restart.
05:06 PM
35 mins: Man City 2 Man United 1
Gary Neville: "there is some clapping coming from behind that goal now. So that is good news."
05:05 PM
34 mins: Man City 2 Man United 1
Something has happened behind one of the goals. Some fans - I think it is the City end - are asking for the game to be stopped.
05:02 PM
30 mins: Man City 2 Man United 1
City looking to put the hammer down. They win a corner. Cleared.
City restore their lead. Quality match this! Both sides playing well.
Foden drives forward, flips the ball over the head of an opponent, fires a good hard shot at De Gea. Good stop, but his colleagues cannot help him out with a clearance. It drops to KBD, who slaps it home.
04:56 PM
24 mins: Man City 1 Man United 1
Grealish, Foden and De Bruyne all looking dangerous though. Ball is crossed hard from the left and Foden tries to head at goal. He might have been able to leave that for KDB actually.
04:53 PM
GOAL! Man City 1 Man United 1 (Sancho 21)
Nicely done by Jadon. Good build up from Pogba and Bruno F. Sancho gets it down the left, Fernandes makes a dummy overlapping run. Sancho is given a lot of time here as City back off, he cuts inside and he curls it inside the post.
Jadon Sancho celebrates scoring against his old club - Ash Donelon/Manchester United via Getty Images
04:49 PM
18 mins: Man City 1 Man United 0
De Bruyne is looking close to unplayable. His most recent darting run forward is down the left, he cuts in and hits a hard low shot that De Gea does well to keep out. Foden tries to pounce on the re-bound but loses out in a wrestling match with Maguire. Some shouts for a penalty but the ref, in my view correctly, feels that both Foden and Maguire were at it equally.
04:46 PM
Warm up tops from earlier
City with Ukraine tops - Action Images via Reuters
04:45 PM
13 mins: Man City 1 Man United 0
By way of celebration for that milestone, Harry Maguire gives KDB a sore ankle with a late clip. You're welcome!
04:43 PM
12 mins: Man City 1 Man United 0
That was De Bruyne's 50 PL goal by the way.
04:41 PM
10 mins: Man City 1 Man United 0
Bernardo in trouble for sliding in on/following through on Bruno Fernandes. No booking.
04:39 PM
8 mins: Man City 1 Man United 0
But this is excellent from Fred! Receives it from Bruno F, dances away from a tackle and is very close to levelling the score.
04:39 PM
5 mins: Man City 1 Man United 0
Gary Neville: "It is that 4 2 2 2 that Rangnick likes, but Elanga and Sancho are out too wide." With Pogba and Fernandes pushed up and forward, it's "not clear who is going to move the ball forward to a forward player."
04:36 PM
GOAL! Man City 1 Man United 0 (De Bruyne 5)
City's first attacks of note. Grealish and Bernardo link up nicely down the left. Telles the full back will have questions to answer about his positioning. It's cut inside to KDB, who hits it crisply through the legs of the lunging Maguire and past the keeper, who has no chance.
Kevin De Bruyne of Manchester City scores the opening goal - Alex Livesey - Danehouse/Getty Images
04:33 PM
2 mins: Man City 0 Man United 0
Elanga and Sancho playing wide and then the well-advanced Pogba and Fernandes almost like a pair of strikers there.
It is Man United, in red shirt and black shorts, who are having the ball early on.
04:31 PM
1 mins: Man City 0 Man United 0
Right then! We are underway.
04:31 PM
Knee
taken.
Teams
Man City: Ederson, Walker, Stones, Laporte, Joao Cancelo, De Bruyne, Rodri, Grealish, Mahrez, Bernardo Silva, Foden. Subs: Sterling, Gundogan, Gabriel Jesus, Zinchenko, Fernandinho, Carson, Delap, Mbete-Tabu, McAtee.
Man United: de Gea, Wan-Bissaka, Lindelof, Maguire, Alex Telles, McTominay, Fred, Sancho, Bruno Fernandes, Pogba, Elanga. Subs: Bailly, Jones, Mata, Rashford, Lingard, Dalot, Henderson, Matic, Mejbri.
Referee: Michael Oliver (Northumberland)
04:29 PM
Football stands together
The players stand around the centre circle and applaud (re Ukraine). There are some yellow and blue flags in the crowd.
No War - Getty
04:27 PM
Cool and sunny in Manchestoh
Will be cold later according to the forecast.
04:27 PM
The players are out on the pitch
Should be a good atmosphere hopefully.
04:26 PM
Rangnick praises City
"It is pretty easy in football. You need the best possible people, have a clear idea and stick to it.
"City and Liverpool have continuity and consistency on head coach for the past five or six years - and, for me, Jurgen [Klopp] and Pep [Guardiola] are the best two coaches on the planet.
"They have very clear identity about how they want to play. This is the secret behind their success.
"This is what all the top clubs have in common and is something that needs to be developed at Manchester United."
04:25 PM
It's first plays fifth
City's lead at the top is just three points over Liverpool now.
"United is always tough. We have to wait, counter-attack. Ralf may be different. If he does not have Ronaldo then he may be more aggressive, run more."
04:04 PM
Ronaldo injured? Or what?
He was driven home on Friday after training, it is being reported. He normally drives himself.
03:54 PM
Covid in United camp
James Ducker writes: "Rangnick is confirming that Varane is out with Covid (as is Shaw)"
03:52 PM
Dad's army
Rangnick making it very clear to MUTV that Cavani has decided himself he's not able to play today. "Edi trained well the last three days but in the end didn't feel quite well enough to play." Rangnick suggested on Friday he would be fit.
We may see Rashford make an impact from bench - actually think that’s the best utilisation of him at the moment, as an impact sub - but his collapse in form this season has led to this point where he can’t get in the team for a Mcr derby despite no Ronaldo & Cavani & no Greenwood
#mcfc v #mufc team sheets. Confirmation no Ronaldo, Cavani, Varane for United. Shaw also out. Despite absence of Ronaldo & Cavani, no place in starting XI for Rashford. Grealish, Foden, Mahrez front three for City. Stones and Laporte partner each other with Dias out pic.twitter.com/ErVbDuA8av
— James Ducker (@TelegraphDucker)
#mcfc v #mufc team sheets. Confirmation no Ronaldo, Cavani, Varane for United. Shaw also out. Despite absence of Ronaldo & Cavani, no place in starting XI for Rashford. Grealish, Foden, Mahrez front three for City. Stones and Laporte partner each other with Dias out pic.twitter.com/ErVbDuA8av
City make six changes to the team that beat Peterborough in the FA Cup as Kyle Walker, John Stones, Aymeric Laporte, Rodri, Kevin De Bruyne and Bernardo all start.
03:42 PM
Man United team news
Cristiano Ronaldo and Raphael Varane are among the absentees as Manchester United travel to rivals Manchester City.
The former Real Madrid duo are unavailable for selection at the Etihad Stadium, as are Luke Shaw and Edinson Cavani.
Ralf Rangnick makes three changes as captain Harry Maguire replaces Varane, former City player Jadon Sancho starts in place of Ronaldo and Scott McTominay comes in for Nemanja Matic.
03:39 PM
G Nev says MU better off without CR
"United over the last three or four years have been a counter-attacking team," Gary Neville has said on Sky Sports.
"That will be exactly the same today I think, with Ronaldo out of the team I think they might be better off with Rashford’s pace on the counter-attack today. Rashford’s got to get himself back on track, for the last year, year and a half, he’s not been playing well.
"They shift him to the left, to the right, down the middle, I don’t think he’s settled and grabbed a position, people refer to the off the field stuff whether it’s a distraction or not and he’s had injuries as well to be fair, his authority off the pitch doesn’t transfer onto the pitch for Manchester United.
03:31 PM
Manchester City
Your City XI to face United! 🔵🔴
XI | Ederson, Walker, Stones, Laporte, Cancelo, Rodrigo, De Bruyne (C), Bernardo, Mahrez, Grealish, Foden
Cristiano Ronaldo and Raphael Varane have been ruled out
Cristiano Ronaldo and Raphael Varane have been ruled out of today’s Manchester derby through injury.
Manchester United will be without their top scorer in addition to fellow striker Edinson Cavani.
It leaves Marcus Rashford as the only recognised striker given Mason Greenwood remains unavailable and Anthony Martial joined Sevilla on loan in January.
Ronaldo is in the midst of his leanest period in front of goal for 13 years with just one goal in his past 10 games for United.
But the 37-year-old’s absence is a setback for interim manager Ralf Rangnick, particularly given that Cavani is also unavailable, as United bid to atone for last November’s pitiful 2-0 defeat by City at Old Trafford and give their top four hopes a significant post.
Ronaldo remains comfortably United’s top scorer this season with 15 goals in 30 matches.
Centre-back Varane is also missing in a further blow to Rangnick.
Rangnick backs Rashford to shine
Ahead of the game, Rangnick backed "abundant talent" Marcus Rashford to rediscover his top form.
The Etihad Stadium hosts the 187th Manchester derby on Sunday, when the Red Devils will look to boost their top-four chances against the Premier League leaders.
United come into the match bruised by last weekend's 0-0 home draw with Watford, where their recent profligacy in front of goal continued on an afternoon when they had 22 shots without scoring.
Rangnick believes things will soon turn for the team and backed Rashford to shine in the coming weeks.
"A few things that have happened in the last couple of weeks, or two months couldn't have been foreseen by anybody," he said of United's goalscoring issues, appearing to nod at forward Mason Greenwood's club suspension.
"Now, with Edinson at least being available for the game and the upcoming games, we have other options.
"With Marcus Rashford, we have another player who I will insist and continuously be behind him and with him, to develop him.
"We have achieved that with quite a few other young players in the past and I don't see why this should not happen with Marcus.
"He's got abundant talent, he's got the pace, he's got the physicality, he's got everything that you need for a modern striker, no matter if he's playing from the wing or in the centre.
"I will put all my energy into that, to help him to take the same pathway that other players did in the last three months."
03:23 PM
Pep on his forward options
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola said the Premier League leaders will look to sign a striker in the close season as they seek a long-term replacement for record scorer Sergio Aguero.
Guardiola's side have played without a recognised centre forward throughout the current campaign after Argentine Aguero left the club at the end of the last campaign.
City also missed out with several attempts to sign England striker Harry Kane from Tottenham Hotspur.
"I think the club needs a striker, definitely," Guardiola was quoted as saying by the BBC.
"You say we play fantastically well without a striker because we are winning. When we are not winning, you say we need a striker."
City lead the table by three points from Liverpool but have an inferior goal difference compared to Jurgen Klopp's side.
Guardiola's team have netted 64 times in 27 games so far this season, seven fewer than Liverpool.
Aguero, who scored 260 goals for City, left at the end of last season to join Barcelona and the club failed with a succession of bids to sign Kane as his replacement.
City's Brazilian striker Gabriel Jesus has usually featured on the wing this season while they sold Ferran Torres, another forward who can play up front, to Barca in January.
"(You say) 'how do these guys play without a striker? In the Premier League you have to play with a striker'," said Guardiola.
03:21 PM
Some notable absences for MUFC
Varane, like Ronaldo and Cavani, missing for #mufc today
Hi, good afternoon, and welcome to our live blog of the Manchester derby. Kick off is at 4.30pm and we have all the build up and team news for you right here.
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When the U.S. Supreme Court ultimately rules on Donald Trump's claim of presidential immunity from prosecution, a third of those deciding the matter will be justices he appointed to their lifetime posts. Those three - Amy Coney Barrett, Brett Kavanaugh and Neil Gorsuch - posed questions from various angles as the nation's top judicial body heard arguments on Thursday in a case that provides a vital test of the power of the presidency. A key question, Gorsuch said, is "how to segregate private from official conduct that may or may not enjoy some immunity."
The Ehattesaht First Nation says a killer whale calf that had been trapped in a remote Vancouver Island lagoon for more than a month is now free after it swam out on its own early Friday morning.The nation said kʷiisaḥiʔis, or Brave Little Hunter, swam over the sandbar and out into open water during high tide around 2:30 a.m. PT.After a long night of feeding kʷiisaḥiʔis and watching the calf play in the lagoon, the nation said, a small group "stood as witnesses to watch her swim under the bridge
Reuters/Brendan McDermidA federal judge in New York upheld a defamation verdict against Donald Trump, keeping him on the hook for the $83 million he owes E. Jean Carroll, the writer who accused him of sexual assault.Trump had motioned to receive a new trial, but Judge Lewis Kaplan rebuffed that effort, determining nothing was wrong with the first one that ruled against him.The decision affirms that Carroll suffered harm from Trump publicly railing against her in 2019, as she went public with her
Inside a garage in an established Edmonton neighbourhood, animals were being slaughtered and the meat was advertised for sale to consumers, a CBC News investigation has learned.Police entered the rented garage in the quiet residential Woodcroft community in February 2023. Images shared with CBC News show piles of goat carcasses, tubs of blood and the remains of a skinned baby goat on a makeshift slaughter table.Neighbour John Bos told CBC News that the sounds of bleating goats first alerted him
Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis may have inspired their grandfather's latest photo choice to mark the first anniversary of his coronation
Jonathon Candy, 42, fatally shot his wife, Lindsay Candy, 39, and three of their four children, ages 18, 14, and 12, on April 22, before dying by suicide
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