Analysis: Is Amorim the right man to solve Man Utd's problems?

In the match build-up, Ruben Amorim was asked who had the bigger issues to resolve - him or Pep Guardiola.

Amorim was incredulous.

"To compare me with the situation of Guardiola? Is just a joke. I think we have bigger problems," he said.

Manchester United, who went into the derby ahead of their rivals in the table for the first time since 2020, did well for long periods. Yet it was Manchester City who secured a deserved and very comfortable 3-0 win because, when it really mattered, they were a different class to their visitors.

They had a couple of opportunities to really threaten the home goal in the first half. Unfortunately, on the first occasion, Amad Diallo's pass to Bryan Mbeumo was overhit and too wide. On the second, Benjamin Sesko played Mbeumo into trouble when a better execution would have sent the Cameroon forward clear.

On his first Premier League start, Sesko had one opportunity when he was sent running at the City goal, only for the Slovenian to take a heavy first touch and chip his shot into Gianluigi Donnarumma, who had closed the gap right down.

Presented with a similar situation in the second half, Erling Haaland forced his way past Matthijs de Ligt and Luke Shaw and then calmly chipped over an advancing Altay Bayindir.

Amorim was right. He has much bigger problems than Guardiola.

That is the easy bit. The big question is how can he solve them?