Manchester United and Manchester City played out a largely uneventful 0-0 draw in their Premier League derby clash, marking the first time the Manchester derby has ended without a goal since December 2020.
Despite an early flurry of energy from the Red Devils, which saw Ruben Dias booked for a foul on Alejandro Garnacho and a Bruno Fernandes free-kick hit the wall, neither side could break the deadlock at Old Trafford.
After weathering the initial storm, City began to assert themselves, with Phil Foden firing a shot into the side netting. Nico O�Reilly then found Omar Marmoush with a well-placed pass, but Harry Maguire was quick to intervene and block the Egyptian’s shot.
United had a good opportunity at the other end when Diogo Dalot delivered a brilliant cross to Garnacho, but the winger couldn’t decide whether to head or volley the ball and ultimately failed to connect properly. Patrick Dorgu also couldn’t capitalize on a cutback from Garnacho, and later fired wide after a skillful build-up orchestrated by Fernandes.
The United captain then saw his dinked pass turned wide by Manuel Ugarte, before Ilkay Gundogan sent a speculative effort off-target for City. Just before half-time, Casemiro struck a shot straight at City goalkeeper Ederson.
Three minutes into the second half, City threatened when O�Reilly passed to Marmoush, but Noussair Mazraoui made a crucial interception to deny Foden a clear shot on goal. Shortly after, a Kevin De Bruyne shot for City rolled harmlessly into the hands of United keeper Andre Onana.
City had a scare when Dias slipped while attempting to intercept a Dorgu cross, but he managed to avoid handling the ball. Onana was then called into action, palming away a free-kick and a powerful strike from Marmoush, while Ugarte sent a similarly emphatic effort just wide of the target.
Substitute Joshua Zirkzee came closest to breaking the deadlock late in the game for United, with Ederson saving his shot towards Mason Mount, whose follow-up effort was blocked by Rico Lewis. Zirkzee had another attempt blocked by Dias as City held firm under late pressure.
The goalless draw extends City’s unbeaten run across all competitions to four games, though they missed an opportunity to leapfrog Chelsea into fourth place in the Premier League table. For Manchester United, the point leaves them in 13th position, with just two wins in their last six matches across all competitions ahead of their UEFA Europa League quarter-final clash against Lyon on Thursday.
