100% duels won, 8 clearances, 3 final-third passes: Heavily-criticised United star shut down detractors by pocketing City’s danger man

Not many times have Manchester City been made to look distinctly average. Michael Carrick did just that on Saturday. Manchester United won 2-0 at Old Trafford, but the scoreline could have easily read 5-0 at the end of 90 minutes, such was the sheer number of chances the hosts created. In fact, it was Pep Guardiola’s biggest defeat in terms of xG since taking charge of City, which goes to show the performance put in by the home side. Carrick kept things simple, removing every strange tactical call Ruben Amorim took, while playing the best players in their preferred positions. MetricValue Goals0 Assists0 Expected Assists (xA)0.01 Defensive Contributions11 Tackles (won)1 (0) Interceptions1 Clearances8 Blocked Shots1 Recoveries2 Ground Duels (won)1 (1) Aerial Duels (won)1 (1) Dribbled Past0 Key Passes0 Crosses (accurate)0 (0) Accurate Passes19 / 22 (86%) Passes in Opposition Half (accurate)6 / 9 (67%) Passes in Own Half (accurate)13 / 13 (100%) Long Balls (accurate)2 / 4 (50%) Touches36 Unsuccessful Touches1 Dribbles (successful)0 (0) Possession Lost5 Total Shots0 Shots on Target0 Shots Blocked0 stats via sofascore Lisandro Martinez was heavily criticised in the build-up to the derby One player who played his socks off was Lisandro Martinez as United kept only their third clean-sheet of the campaign. In the build-up to the Manchester derby, United legends Nicky Butt and Paul Scholes took aim at the Argentine, claiming Erling Haaland would manhandle him. But the World Cup winner responded in the best manner possible, as the Norwegian had to be subbed off in the 80th minute, without having a shot on target. The Argentina international won all his duels, both aerial and on the ground, while also completing eight clearances. Lisandro Martinez responded to critics in style The 27-year-old also made one tackle, blocked one shot, completed one interception while recovering the ball twice. The ex-Ajax ace was brave with the ball at his feet as well, two accurate long balls, while playing three balls into the final third (stats via sofascore). He has often had to face unjust criticism for his height, while his fitness has let him down at times. But when fit, there are few better out-and-out defenders than the Argentina international. Carrick will be pleased with what he saw from his midfield and backline, and hopefully, Lisandro Martinez can carry this form into next week’s blockbuster tie against Arsenal. Feature image Carl Recine via Getty Images The Peoples Person has been one of the world’s leading Man United news sites for over a decade. Follow us on Bluesky: @peoplesperson.bsky.social Ayantan Chowdhury After failing to become a professional footballer, Ayantan switched to the next best thing: writing about the greatest football club in the world. He has extensive sports journalism experience, having worked for over 10 years in the Indian sports media industry, writing for the biggest newspapers and websites. Currently an editor at The Peoples Person. You can follow him on X: @ayantanc_25