Manchester City 1 Manchester United 0:
How it stands
City: P36 - Gd +61 - Pts 83.
United: P36 - Gd +53 - Pts 83.
Remaining fixtures
City: Newcastle (A) May 6; QPR (H) May 13.
United: Swansea (H) May 6; Sunderland (A) May 13.
Manchester United manager Sir Alex
Ferguson went to war with Roberto Mancini as Vincent Kompany's
first-half header sent Manchester City soaring to the top of the
Barclays Premier League table.
The
result means that if City win their final two games - at Newcastle on
Sunday and at home to QPR on the last day - they will be crowned
champions for the first time since 1968.
And
clearly the prospect does not please Ferguson, who approached his
opposite number in a finger-jabbing fury after Nigel de Jong had brought
down Danny Welbeck in the second half.
The
Italian responded in kind and at one point only fourth official Mike
Jones stood between the pair, who after repeated clashes, were
eventually pulled apart by their backroom staff.
Captain's job: Kompany's header hit the back of the net in time added on at the end of the first half
MATCH FACTS
Man City: Hart, Zabaleta, Lescott, Kompany, Clichy, Barry, Toure Yaya, Silva (Richards 83), Tevez (de Jong 68), Nasri (Milner 90), Aguero.
Subs not used: Pantilimon, Dzeko, Kolarov, Balotelli.
Booked: Kompany, Toure, De Jong.
Goal: Kompany 45+2.
Man United: De Gea, Jones, Ferdinand, Smalling, Evra, Nani (Young 83), Carrick, Scholes (Valencia 78), Park (Welbeck 58), Giggs, Rooney.
Subs not used: Amos, Berbatov, Hernandez, Rafael Da Silva.
Booked: Jones, Carrick.
Attendance: 47,259
Referee: Andre Marriner (W Midlands)
Tempers had cooled at the final
whistle enough for the customary handshake to take place, although the
fire mattered little to City.
Just four games after that Arsenal
debacle, after which their hopes appeared dead, City are back on top and
agonisingly close to their holy grail after completing a league double
over their great rivals for only the second time in 42 years.
Although the team sheets indicated
Ferguson had adopted a cautious approach and Mancini a more
attack-minded one, in fact the opening exchanges provided an alternate
view.
With his midfield reinforced by the
introduction of Park Ji-sung to a Premier League starting line-up for
the first-time since January, Ferguson's side quickly got into their
stride and looked capable of carving out a decent opportunity or two.
However, Nani wasted their clearest
opportunity when he ignored Phil Jones' overlapping burst and let fly
from 35 yards with a shot that was hopelessly off-target.
Heads up: The City captain leaps above Smalling to give the hosts the lead and wheels away to celebrate (below)
City meanwhile began sluggishly, their
midfield seemingly incapable of stringing a succession of passes
together with any regularity.
Samir Nasri was the man who sparked
them into life with a couple of mazy dribbles as the hosts started to
get near the byline, which always gives defences cause for concern.
Sergio Aguero screwed a volley wide,
then Pablo Zabaleta seized on an opportunity he would have been better
leaving for Nasri and his shot rolled through to David de Gea.
After all the hype, it was hardly a
classic, although as the clock ticked down towards half-time, the United
camp presumably reflected they were quite happy at that.
So, to go behind in stoppage time in such orthodox fashion would have been particularly galling for the visitors.
De Gea's frailties under the high ball
are well known by now. When David Silva curled over the second of
successive corners, a stronger, more confident goalkeeper might have
come to punch.
Caught napping: United players look disconsolate after conceding late in the first half
Instead, he left it to his defenders.
Chris Smalling, like Park, making his
first start since January after Jonny Evans was ruled out through
injury, momentarily lost Kompany on their run from the edge of the box
and was still marginally out of position when the Belgian rose to power
home from six yards.
It was a devastating goal for United to lose as there had been no obvious indication they were likely to score.
Net result: De Gea is left stranded as Kompany's header slams into the back of the net - enough to make him jump for joy (below)
Wayne Rooney looked particularly out
of sorts, isolated up front and generally unhappy with the buffeting he
was receiving, which had only drawn one yellow card for Kompany.
The second half was only 12 minutes
old when Ferguson offered his star man some badly-needed support,
replacing Park with Welbeck.
Immediately before the change though
United might have found themselves two down when De Gea came for a
corner without getting near it and Nasri ended up curling wide of the
far post.
All talk: Fergie and Mancini clashed on the touchline midway through the second half
Even when the Red Devils did build
some attacking momentum, their final pass was either off-target or
overhit, ensuring Hart was not tested.
However, with his side well capable of
grabbing a second, Mancini's decision to replace Carlos Tevez with De
Jong hinted at containment, a very dangerous ploy against this
particular set of opponents.
Yaya Toure did thrash a long-range effort wide, his shot close enough to have De Gea scrambling across his goal.
Slim pickings: The two sides played out a cagey opening 45 minutes
And, in truth, United seemed to have precious few ideas about prising their opponents open.
De Jong's foul on Welbeck brought a
yellow card for the Dutchman and sparked the furious touchline row
between Ferguson and Mancini. Peace was eventually restored but the
visitors failed to feed off their manager's fire.
Familiar face: Former Manchester City chairman
Thaksin Shinawatra poses with the home fans while one fan's sign summed
it up for everyone (below)
Toure came agonisingly close to grabbing a second for the Blues and De Gea made an excellent save to deny Gael Clichy.
And despite five minutes' stoppage
time, the Blues cruised home, and the songs of celebration began with
City two games from glory.
Family affair: Aguero was cheered on from the stands by his father-in-law Maradona (below)
