Manchester United were ‘terrible’ against Manchester City and their midfield could barely string four passes together.
That’s according to former City star Bacary Sagna, who says Erik ten Hag’s side capitulated at the Etihad.
City ran riot in the first half, putting four past their neighbours to effectively seal the three points by half-time.
United ‘won’ the second half 3-2 but they only came into the match long after City took their foot off the gas.
The defeat ended a good period of form for United, who put together four consecutive wins in the Premier League after defeats to Brentford and Brighton.
But Sagna says the defeat at the Etihad was particularly bad, with United putting in a ‘terrible’ performance.
‘Terrible. You know, when you play a big derby, the first minute is very important,’
‘When you play away you need to be ready to go because you know the opponent will come at you straight away. You have to be ready to give 100%.
‘When I watched the game, the players were not strong enough. They couldn’t keep the ball. They couldn’t complete four passes. If you want to take anything from a game like this, you have to be better on the ball.
‘City will always put you under pressure, but these players play for Manchester United, they have quality. They should be able to keep the ball. I was surprised by their performance.
‘They didn’t approach this game in the right way. They were not aggressive. This was a rude awakening for United and highlights just how far they are behind .
‘The TV cameras showed Sir Alex and he looked very unhappy. It must have been very difficult for him to see his club perform like this. Players need to have the right attitude, the right spirit in a game like this and that was the big difference between the two sides.’
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