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The only player who deserved to win this Manchester derby did exactly that. From the morasse of mediocrity on both sides, Amad Diallo rose by far the highest. For 85 minutes it seemed like Manchester United’s best hope of getting something from this game was Amad winning the ball, Amad beating three men, Amad playing a quick one-two with Amad and Amad playing the pass for Amad to drill home.
It probably was. In five breathtaking minutes, the 22-year-old won a penalty off Matheus Nunes, the auxiliary left back he had so utterly cowed. Then came the moment that will seal Amad’s place in United folklore: the perfect run at the perfect moment to reach Lisandro Martinez’s ball over the top, a flick over Ederson taking him wide enough that you’d think the opening had gone for a natural left footer. Not in the slightest. Amad had a technical excellence that eluded so many others, rolling the ball into the gap between two despairing City defenders.
Those one-man attacks down the right, the precision passes that still weren’t quite enough to get his United teammates in, the near-miss shots: all got the reward they deserved. Manchester City, meanwhile, got the result they merited. A deflected Kevin De Bruyne cross turned in by Josko Gvardiol was much the same of their creative output. One win in 11 and a team desperately lacking the sort of oomph that Amad delivered at the Etihad Stadium.
Amad’s excellence also spoke in favor of Ruben Amorim, who had left bigger names out of the squad to make room for a player whose performances before and after the change of management have actually merited more opportunities. Amorim didn’t just hand out a chance to his young forward. He placed him at the heart of United’s gameplan.
With the naturally attack-minded Nunes tasked with holding down the left flank, there was going to be space in behind against a City side that probably couldn’t afford to leave four men at most behind the ball.
When the ball came United’s way, they went straight to Amad. He went straight at that City rearguard. They looked ill at ease, hardly ready to slow, let alone stop, a well-executed counter. United rarely delivered those, particularly in the first half, but they really did threaten. A bit more propulsion for Manuel Ugarte, a better touch from Diogo Dalot when Amad went from the right flank to the left side of the penalty box: had that come it might not have been so long before United broke through. These full-tilt counters are head to pull off, particularly given that Amorim is not exactly blessed with high grade talent. Still Amad would keep putting United in positions where they were just a pass away.
Instead the game-changing final pass would come from Nunes. It would be unreasonable to blame him entirely for the penalty, let alone the fact that City had failed to put away an opponent who had handed them a one-goal lead off another poorly defended set play. Kyle Walker didn’t have to drop the ball to Nunes on the right flank with only one realistic option, a long pass back to Ederson that Amad was already expecting.
Then again, Nunes gave in to panic when it became apparent he’d undercooked his pass. As Amad brought himself to a halt his defender flew into him at full pelt. Fernandes made no mistake from the spot.
United tails were up. Their passing at last had the crispness of Amorim’s Sporting side. Any of his ball-progressing centerbacks would have done well to drop the ball between Ederson and his backline as Martinez did. One touch from Amad took the goalkeeper out of the game, the next found space between two trailing defenders. In a game of thudding clunkery on both sides, Amad had delivered with pace and composure. How City could do with that? How United have needed it.
