United put up a good fight in the first half, going down 2–1 at the break, but City’s quality showed after the interval that Ralph Rangnik’s side looked increasingly demoralised.
As it happened: Man City vs Man United
City have 69 points from 28 matches while Liverpool have 63 points from 27 matches. United slipped to fifth place, one point behind Arsenal, who beat Watford on Sunday and have three games to go.
Belgian De Bruyne was excellent, running the game from central midfield and then presenting himself as a threat in the box.
United were without Cristiano Ronaldo and Edinson Cavani through injuries and surprisingly Rangnik opted to play Paul Pogba and Bruno Fernandes in forward positions.
@ManCity completes a double over at Man Utd and re-establishes their six-point lead ahead of Liverpool#MCIMUN https://t.co/dNsUZHV1q1.
— Premier League (@premierleague) 164659120000
City started off right and De Bruyne put them ahead in the fifth minute, leaving behind a low pull-back pass from Bernardo Silva after being overloaded on the left.
But United equalized with a brilliant curling shot Jadon SanchoJoe took his time and cut inside after a sharp break before hitting Ederson with his confidence.
But City’s advantage was restored after Belgian De Bruyne scored the goal Phil Foden had entered the area and saw his shot coming out David De Gea,
City dominated after the break and made it 3-1 when De Bruyne hit a corner deep to the edge of the box and Mahrez met with a first drive, which saw little deflection. Harry Maguire,
Mahrez completed the win with a goal that was initially marked offside, but VAR found that Alex Tels had played for the Algerian side before he lay down on an Ilke Gundogan pass and D. Gay’s shoulder got blasted.
The scoreline was a fitting reflection of City’s dominance and the music United would face after City’s third-goal defeat.