Manchester City Fan View: Derby defeat did more than delay the inevitable

Manchester City suffered just their second defeat in the Premier League this season at the weekend, as they fell to a massive 3-2 loss in the Manchester derby.

The Blues were 2-0 up after a phenomenal first half, but a poor second-half showing saw the tide turn in the game, with Paul Pogba turning it on with a brace to snatch all three points from Pep Guardiola’s men.

City just needed to hold on to their lead in order to secure the Premier League title, which would have been a league record with six games left to play. However, now the Blues must wait a little longer in order to claim their second piece of silverware for the season, having already won the Carabao Cup.

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IN PICTURES: Manchester City v Manchester United

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Yet the biggest damage done by Jose Mourinho’s outfit at the Etihad was not the delaying of the inevitable – City will surely still win the league crown, only needing to win two of the remaining six games, even if United win all of their fixtures. Instead, the problem now is that City now go into the second leg of their Champions League quarter final with domestic rivals Liverpool with a 3-0 deficit from the first leg at Anfield and on the back of a league defeat which saw City cede in such an important game for their supporters.

It was always going to be an unlikely story that the Citizens would be able to turn the European tie around against Jurgen Klopp’s highly energetic Merseyside men – the German coach is seemingly Guardiola’s kyptonite. But now Kevin De Bruyne and co will surely be deflated after such an abysmal display in the second period against United. They cannot afford to be deflated.

Of course, City’s superstars could now go into the Champions League match knowing that they have nothing else to play for with the title all but laced with sky blue and white ribbons. But if they truly love playing in those colours, then they must at least go into the game against Liverpool, on their own turf, and put up a fight with the intensity they demonstrated earlier in the season.

Guardiola chose to twist in the first leg with an unconventional lineup and twisted again against United by rotating his squad in preparation for the second leg of their European clash. Now, he must stick – return to the lineup that has so admirably dominated the league table this term and attempt to rectify what has been a bad week for the club.

The biggest concern for City supporters, though, is that what could have been one of the biggest weeks in the club’s history could ultimately end up being a disaster.