Manchester United vs Man City result: Bernardo Silva exposes flaws to close in on Carabao Cup final

A destruction that renders the second leg of this Carabao Cup semi-final as meaningless as so many of Manchester United’s plans under this regime.

Manchester City’s second-half cruise-control in this 3-1 defeat at Old Trafford should not mask how bad this was. It should not stave off the questions that badly need to be asked.

There were times in a torrid first half for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer when it did really look – to play on that popular City chant their supporters were gleefully belting out – like it could have been 10.

It should really have been six by half-time, as Pep Guardiola’s side overwhelmed United in wave after wave, Bernardo Silva and Kevin De Bruyne so brilliantly orchestrating everything.

It could have been so much worse for United. But the very fact they should feel somewhat grateful for City easing off – not even feeling the urge to go and batter their great rivals when they really could have – is as bad. It should be as galling.

It should be a wake-up call. It should raise questions over where exactly they’re going, what they are trying to do.

You can take your pick from any number of vignettes that reflected the scale of City’s superiority when the game was still ‘in the balance’, and the scale of the gap between these sides, but the worst was probably that tipping-point third goal. There were certainly massive gaps within the United team, as Phil Jones and Victor Lindelof inexplicably found themselves so high they were in the opposition half.

That made the counter-attack as easy as City have had it in derbies of late, De Bruyne left to so easily humiliate the despairing Jones with the most basic of turns. De Gea saved his shot, but could only watch as the ball cannoned off Andreas Pereira and in.

It was the perfect illustration of the haplessness at the heart of this club, shooting themselves in the foot, and barely able to get a shot off in a game like this.

De Gea himself – as has been the norm of late – was far from faultless. As City were already weaving passing patterns around and through the United team so early in the first half, the goalkeeper displayed the contrasting baseness of his side’s play by booting an aimless ball into the middle of the pitch. The modern United way, seemingly – and thereby no way out. They just played themselves back into trouble.

It was from a similar situation that City hit the second, as the champions just went straight back up the pitch for Lindelof to miss Bernardo’s through ball, and De Gea to be caught out of position as Riyad Mahrez so simply rounded him. This is what it was becoming.

Bernardo’s exceptional opening goal set the tone and the template for the match, as it was a City player trying something adventurous simply because he could, as there was barely any opposition of the name to stop him.

There may be some sympathy in that regard for Solskjaer, since the names barely matched up either.

This was Raheem Sterling and De Bruyne against Lindelof and Jones; Fred and Pereira against Rodri and Ilkay Gundogan.

At left-back, United are forced into playing a kid in Brandon Williams, who is talented, but really only in the team because he already looks much more forceful than Luke Shaw.

There were mismatches all round, but that sympathy should be limited, because the biggest mismatch of all was on the benches.

There, we have the personifications of the differences between the clubs.

City have perhaps the greatest manager in the world, and one of the most influential in the game’s history. United have one whose only experiences are getting relegated with Cardiff City, and league wins in Europe’s 23rd-ranked league.

It still beggars belief, especially with Pochettino waiting, and all the more so because there are growing stories that City themselves eye the Argentine for when Guardiola eventually leaves. United could cost themselves through poor decision-making again.

All indications before this game were that Solskjaer was as solid in his position as ever, and it is true that problems at Old Trafford go way beyond the manager.

It’s just still difficult not to think that his appointment is another reflection of this dysfunction.

Solskjaer did at least stem the tide in this game, to give him some due. Nemanja Matic was introduced to again offer United’s best individual performance, and Marcus Rashford hit one back.

Much of this, however, was surely down to City just easing off. That’s how bad it is for United now. Their old neighbours, who used to have to such an inferiority complex about them, don’t even need to really assert their superiority. It’s just such an evident fact.

It is also a fact that this ended up only being 3-1, but the narrowness of the scoreline should not negate a host of other harsher realities.

This, in its own way, was as bad as a beating. United – of all clubs, in all fixtures – had City, taking it easy on them.

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