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In Carrick’s debut, United defeat City and hand Arsenal a valuable gift

Manchester United triumphed over Manchester City 2-0 in the derby, in the opening match of the 22nd round of the 2025-26 Premier League season.

This was Michael Carrick’s first match in charge of Manchester United since being appointed manager until the end of the season, replacing the sacked Ruben Amorim, after Darren Fletcher led the team on an interim basis for the first two games.

The derby was evenly matched, with both sides squandering several chances, until Bryan Mbeumo opened the scoring with a perfect counter-attack in the 65th minute.

As City tried to get back into the game and equalize, Patrick D’Orgo sealed the victory for United in the 74th minute, perfectly converting a cross from Matheus Cunha on the right wing.

Mason Mount scored a third goal in the final minute, but it was disallowed after a VAR review.

Arsenal undoubtedly benefited most from this victory, as Manchester City’s points tally remained at 43, giving the Gunners a golden opportunity to extend their lead over second place to nine points with a win against Nottingham Forest tonight.

Manchester United also boosted their chances of securing a top-four finish in the Premier League. This win moved the Red Devils to 35 points in fourth place, pending the results of Liverpool and Brentford’s matches.