Aheed Abrar
Rio Ferdinand admits being wrong about the ‘gulf in class’ between Manchester United and Manchester City
Manchester United icon Rio Ferdinand has admitted he was wrong about the “gulf in class” between the Red Devils and Manchester City. The defender, who spent 12 years at Old Trafford, feels the Sky Blues are on a different level.
City dominated proceedings from the start of kick-off against United. Pep Guardiola’s team denied the Red Devils time on the ball. And the first half ended 4-0, with Erling Haaland and Phil Foden scoring a brace.
Giving his thoughts on Twitter, Ferdinand was surprised by what he saw on the pitch. The ex-Red Devil, who had been part of some successful United sides, had a different idea of Erik ten Hag’s team before they took on City.
“The gulf in class between @ManUtd & @ManCity is bigger than I thought before this game had kicked off….”
Antony scored a brilliant long-range effort in the 56th minute to reduce the deficit by one goal. However, Haaland and Foden found the back of the net to complete their hat tricks. It was the England international’s first in a blue shirt.
The Norwegian’s also hit his third consecutive three-goal haul at the Etihad Stadium in the Premier League. The 22-year-old had previously scored hat-tricks against Crystal Palace and Nottingham Forest at home.
Anthony Martial had come on in the 59th minute for United, replacing Marcus Rashford. And the French centre-forward scored two late goals as the game ended 6-3.
Prior to the City game, we had been on a four-game win streak in the league. United beat the likes of Liverpool and Arsenal. And fans had been given hope after the abysmal start to the season.
Going into the Manchester derby, there was an anticipation that the Red Devils could conjure a result against the champions. However, the Sky Blues gave United supporters a reality check.
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Even after having seemingly strengthened the side in the recent transfer window, the Old Trafford side still have a long way to go. United need to be patient with Ten Hag and give the Dutch manager the tools he requires, just like Guardiola at City.
