Manchester United completed their first home and away Premier League double over Manchester City since the Alex Ferguson era with goals from Anthony Martial and Scott McTominay giving them a 2-0 victory at Old Trafford on Sunday.
United’s triumph over second-placed City leaves runaway leaders Liverpool, who have a 25-point advantage, even closer to the title but not even that bitter-sweet element of the win could dampen the celebrations in the Stretford End.
Liverpool now require only two more wins to guarantee lifting their first league title for 30 years and may not even need those six points if City fail to beat Arsenal and Burnley in their upcoming games before the Merseyside derby.
United may have had to defend for large parts of the second half but they were disciplined throughout and allowed City few clear chances after taking the lead in the 30th minute through Martial after a clever free-kick from Bruno Fernandes.
The arrival of Portuguese midfielder Fernandes in late January has transformed United’s season and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s improving side are now unbeaten in their last 10 games in all competitions.
The creativity and verve of Fernandes has been key to that upturn in form, but there have been improvements across the field as United have moved up to fifth, still three points off the fourth Champions League spot currently held by Chelsea.