KEY POINTS

  • Solskjaer has defeated Guardiola four times, across competitions
  • Fernandes and Shaw scored in Man Utd's 2-0 win at Etihad
  • Man City are 11 points clear at the top of the Premier League table

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer claimed a special record in Manchester United's 2-0 derby win in the Premier League at Etihad Stadium on Sunday.

With the win, Solskjaer became the first manager in Manchester United's history to win each of his first three away meetings in all competitions with Manchester City.

Sunday's derby was the 185th meeting between both the Manchester clubs in professional soccer. Even Sir Alex Ferguson, Manchester United's legendary head coach, could not manage to win his first three away fixtures against the city rivals.

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has been a top-flight manager since 2008, managing three clubs – Barcelona, Bayern Munich and City. He has faced around 67 managers more than three times across all competitions, over the years, and Solskjaer is the only head coach to have defeated the Spaniard (four times) more often than he has lost to Guardiola (three times).

The derby loss also ended Manchester City's incredible 28-match unbeaten streak. It included 15 consecutive wins in the ongoing 2020-21 Premier League.

"We will be the news because we lost. But the news is 21 victories in a row. There are still 30 points to play and we have to start to win again. That's football. Sometimes it happens. It was a fantastic game. United are incredibly high pressing and they are so fast on the counter. We played well. Unfortunately, we couldn't be clinical upfront so we congratulate United," Guardiola told Sky Sports in a post-match interview Sunday.

Bruno Fernandes and Luke Shaw were the goal scorers for Solskjaer's side in the derby. Even though the Red Devils bagged three crucial points at the Etihad Stadium, the Old Trafford club suffered a minor setback when Marcus Rashford was forced off the field in the second half. Rashford suffered a blow to his left ankle and will undergo scans Monday to determine the extent of the injury.

Since the upcoming weeks are going to be busy for Manchester United, Solskjaer is hoping to have Rashford back in action soon. However, there is still no certainty if the 23-year-old forward will play Thursday's Europa League game against Milan or not. Following that, Manchester United will host seventh-placed West Ham in the Premier League next week.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer Jon Candy (joncandy) on Flickr
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