Manchester United beat Manchester City 2 – 0 in a potentially portentous Manchester Derby at Old Trafford on Sunday.
Goals from Anthony Martial and Scott McTominay sealed the win on a day when the Old Trafford faithful were behind their team for the entire game.
Scott McTominay’s opportunistic 40-yard lob over Ederson in the dying seconds was illustrative of the changing mood around Manchester United. Before Christmas, it’s doubtful that McTominay even attempts that, much less pulls it off.
The signing of Bruno Fernandes in January has provided a sprinkling of stardust to a team that felt washed up. Now, Manchester United fans believe that this team can eventually return to the heights of days gone by.
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One man who experienced those heights is Gary Neville. The former right back said that the atmosphere at Old Trafford hasn’t been that positive in a long time.
“There are not many times in recent years where I have seen the stadium bouncing like that where the whole stadium is at it,” said Neville.
“I have not seen it like this for a long time. A rare moment, but it was a good day for United and they needed it as well. It still doesn’t give them what they want in terms of a Champions League place or a top-four finish but something like that was a big moment for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and those players.”
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This isn’t the sentimentality of an ex-player after a derby win either, as United captain Harry Maguire echoed his comments.
The atmosphere was unbelievable,” Maguire said.
“Credit to the fans, everyone in the stadium created an atmosphere out there that deserved three points for them to go to work tomorrow morning and have the bragging rights in the city.“
Following the win, United are the 5/4 favorites to challenge Chelsea for fourth place in the Premier League.
