Manchester City

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Former Premier League defender Stephen Kelly spoke to BBC World Service's World Football Podcast about Kevin de Bruyne's legacy at Manchester City:

"De Bruyne has to be one of the most complete midfielders we have seen in the Premier League. He was so pivotal to that City team being at its best and it's telling that City have dropped off dramatically as he has been injured and missed games. They've not been the same without him and it has made a huge impact in how City have progressed this season.

"It's a big job to replace De Bruyne. Phil Foden was pegged to replace him - he was PFA Player of the Year and everyone thought this was the time for him to fill De Bruyne's boots. He is someone who can pick passes, score goals and influence the team but he's dropped off as well.

"De Bruyne was consistent every week and his standard was so high - to find a player like that is almost impossible."

Listen to the full discussion on De Bruyne on BBC Sounds

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We asked for your thoughts after Sunday's Premier League game between Manchester United and Manchester City.

Here are some of your comments:

Andy: A shambolic performance against poor opposition. United's tactics were known before kick-off, yet we picked a team that would be easily contained. It was nonsensical to continue with Ruben Dias walking out of defence with the ball. Substitutions made us worse - what was Jeremy Doku told to do? Not once did he attack his full-back. I was a strong advocate that Jack Grealish should start, but when he came on, he continually threw himself to the ground. Immensely disappointing!

Mike: Absolutely awful. We were lucky United couldn't finish. Based on this performance, I predict we will finish seventh. Newcastle, Chelsea and Aston Villa are all better than us.

Brian: Derby games are always full of nerves. This was cautious in the extreme and United had the better chances in a dull, uninspiring game. But City kept a clean sheet and held their nerve at the back. Guardiola also played for a draw. Overall, a result we would have taken at any stage in any previous season.

Gene: Overall, a flat performance in a must-win situation against the across-town rivals who haven't shown much this season. The introduction of pace was too late and there's still a lack of creativity. While the defence is improving, the offense is still spluttering.

Sean: Very disappointed as thought United were there for the taking. We lacked creativity and we lacked width, obviously missing Erling Haaland was a blow but we must make sure we qualify for Champions League next season. I'm expecting a new team next season with lots of ins and outs in the summer. We have got an ageing squad so that must be sorted.

Simon Stone
Chief football news reporter

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For Manchester City, the journey to their preferred destination is far easier to navigate than for neighbours Manchester United - and there is more belief in Guardiola to keep everyone on the right path.

Yet, for them too there are hazards, not least in the unknowns.

By his own admission, he kept faith in too many of his long-serving players last summer. That will not happen again.

We already know Kevin de Bruyne is leaving but there are questions over plenty of others in his squad, not all of them fringe, injured or unwanted players.

The futures of Jack Grealish, Bernardo Silva and Ederson, all involved against United, have to be determined.

Juventus full-back Andrea Cambiaso and Bayer Leverkusen midfielder Florian Wirtz are mentioned most frequently as likely additions to Guardiola's squad - but there will probably be more than two new faces.

Clearly, who they can sign will be impacted by the outcome of the hearing into the 115 charges of alleged Premier League financial rule breaches. Guardiola cannot control that situation.

City's status and the pull of the manager will ensure they remain an attractive proposition even if they fail to qualify for next season's Champions League.

However, it would be a blow to his pride if, for the first time in his senior managerial career, he fails to take a team into the elite club competition.

Not that he is thinking so far ahead.

Read more from Simon on the Manchester derby here

Highlights and analysis from Sunday's four Premier League fixtures, plus the best of the action from the rest of the weekend.

If you missed Match of the Day 2, catch up now on BBC iPlayer.

And you can watch Saturday's Match of the Day here.

Listen back to the weekend's full match commentaries on BBC Sounds:

• Crystal Palace 2-1 Brighton

• Aston Villa 2-1 Nottingham Forest

• Fulham 3-2 Liverpool

• Man Utd 0-0 Man City

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Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola speaking to Sky Sports: "We have the control but not in the right spots to hurt them in the first half, a little better in the first minutes of the second half. United have been an incredible transitional team, defend against us deep, with Garnacho and the pace they have. They link inside, they know perfectly what they have to do. But we take the point, I'd prefer to win but we are there.

What do the players need to do better?

"The players know it. There is a process when the ball is on one side the players need to be in the right position. Today that was not good enough.

"Against a 5-4-1 it's so narrow and congested. We should have been in some positions that we tried to get in but weren't good enough to punish them.

"The last games we much, much better, back four better, just our process was not [good] but we know that, when we lose the ball in certain positions they are a strong team and punish you, but we knew that.

About getting back to City's usual level:

"It will take time, the players gave everything today.

"We will prepare for the upcoming games, there are a few things I'm happy with what I saw, but now we need to achieve the target of qualifying for Champions League then next season is next season."

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Manchester City midfielder Mateo Kovacic has been speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live: "Not a beautiful game to watch. It was tough. They were aggressive in the mid block so it was tough to find the right spaces to play. It was tough to create chances and we had to be careful with the counter attack because they are good going forward. It was a typical derby. We wanted the win but we take the point and move on.

"We always go for the win but we also had to be careful not to lose it because we are in a battle for the Champions League and we need points. We could have done more going forward and creating more but it was tough with the small spaces. We move on to the next games.

"We have to have the same mindset for Champions League [as going for the title] because it is important that Man City are in the competition next season.

"It will be tough until the end because there are many teams that fight for the top four and no game in the Premier League is easy. But we are confident that we can achieve it."

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Manchester City have kept a clean sheet in successive Premier League games for the first time since May 2024, though they've failed to score in consecutive away matches in the competition for the first time since December 2020.

Ruben Dias' yellow card for Manchester City after 38 seconds was the earliest card shown in a Premier League Manchester derby on record (since 2006-07).

Were you at the game or following from elsewhere?

Have your say on Man Utd's performance

What did you make of Man City's display?

Come back to this page on Monday to find a selection of your replies

Manchester United are short of goals, and I don't understand why Ruben Amorim went with Joshua Zirkzee to lead their attack ahead of Rasmus Hojlund in Tuesday's defeat at Nottingham Forest.

I see Hojlund as a number nine, while Zirkzee is a nine and a half to a 10 - anything but a centre-forward. It cannot be helping Hojlund's confidence, because it is quite obvious Amorim doesn't fancy him when he is desperate for results and he is not picking him.

People are saying United played well against Nottingham Forest on Tuesday, and they dominated the ball, but they looked a bigger threat when Harry Maguire came on at the end of the game.

Is there a chance of big Harry playing up front from the start here? That would be funny, but it is not going to happen.

Manchester City will have to try something different in their attack too, with Erling Haaland out injured.

They have not clicked often enough this season, especially in the bigger games, and I still don't feel you can trust them to turn up the way they always used to - but this time I have a feeling they will find a way through.

If Amorim did manage to get the better of Pep Guardiola for a third time this season, then United would probably be selling T-shirts to mark the achievement. I don't see it happening though.

Sutton's prediction: 1-2

Read the full predictions and have your say here

With Manchester United struggling to get out of the bottom half of the table and Manchester City fighting for a Champions League spot, neither club's season has gone in the direction most would have expected.

As they battle it out in the Manchester derby on Sunday, we asked our fan contributors for each club to let us know why this could be the match that ignites their end to the campaign.

United fan Alex Turk at Turk Talks FC, external says it will happen because, after all, they have "done it before"...

And this is the view of City fan Steven McInerney from Esteemed Kompany, external, who says a win against United will add "a bit of fire" and "exorcise some demons" from a difficult season...

"As low key as it has ever been."

Manchester United fan Tom Mortimer and Manchester City supporter Lewis Brown preview the weekend's derby on The Football News Show.

Watch on BBC iPlayer

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Manchester United are looking to complete their first Premier League double over Manchester City since 2019-20, following their 2-1 win at Etihad Stadium in December.

City have won more Premier League away games against United than any other side (nine). And five of those nine wins have come under Pep Guardiola, the most of any visiting manager in the competition.

Bruno Fernandes has been involved in 21 goals at Old Trafford for Manchester United this season (12 goals, nine assists). If he assists in this game, it will be the third time he has got 10 or more goals and 10 or more assists in a season at Old Trafford (also 2020-21 and 2022-23).

Marc Higginson
BBC Sport Senior Journalist

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Kevin de Bruyne is, to a generation of City fans, their Colin Bell.

A man who had it all – just, as we were told, Bell did in the last great City team of the 60s and 70s.

With Yaya Toure-like lung-busting runs from midfield, the vision and grace of David Silva, the leadership attributes of Vincent Kompany and the goalscoring nous of Erling Haaland, De Bruyne took the best of the club's modern-day legends and rolled them into one Rolls Royce of a player.

Which is quite incredible considering he was never the biggest, fastest or fittest midfielder. Just the best.

The spectacular long-range goals will live long in the memory, but so will those bulldozing runs through midfield when he effortlessly went through the gears, and the perfectly-timed runs into the box.

Or those inch-perfect crosses – like the one against Newcastle to tee up Oscar Bobb last season. Only he could have seen it and then executed it.

Because he was a one-off. When City needed a goal in the Bernabeu, he would step up. Or when somebody was needed to take a title race by the scruff of the neck – as he did with four goals against Wolves in 2022 – he would take charge.

De Bruyne won everything at City – silverware and hearts. Simply ask any City fan to stay composed when watching Pep Guardiola, moments after winning the Champions League, gush: "We did it, Kev".

You showed this generation what Colin Bell was like. You touched it with greatness. You won every single piece of silverware City fans craved.

You did it, Kev.

Mike Minay
BBC Radio Manchester reporter

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Kevin de Bruyne is the only player at Manchester City who was there before Pep Guardiola. He will leave as one of the greatest this club has seen.

Friday's new is a shock, but not a surprise. The 33-year-old is out of contract in the summer and after a couple of campaigns in which he has been hit by injury and struggled for form, maybe it is the right time.

But it takes nothing away from what he has achieved: six Premier League titles, two FA Cup, five League Cups, one Champions League.

Throw in three times in the Uefa team of the year, twice PFA Players' Player of the Year and a four-time City player of the year.

A wand of a foot that could cut open a defence in a split second and change a game. If you needed a moment that could turn the fortunes around, everyone would look to De Bruyne.

Even after a six-month lay-off in the 2023-24 season, he came back and still finished as the club's highest assist-maker.

He signed as a "£55m flop" - according to one headline. He leaves having paid back every penny of that and more. A legend.

Just one question... where does his statue go?

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