Article body analysed
By DANIEL DAVIS Published: 04: 24 AEST, 7 April 2025 | Updated: 05: 40 AEST, 7 April 2025 15 View comments Gary Neville did not hold back as he delivered a withering assessment of the drab Manchester derby, accusing the players of being 'so robotic'. A dire first half set the tone for an underwhelming showdown at Old Trafford as both sides struggled to create clear-cut chances to energise the crowd. It did not improve after the interval, either, with Joshua Zirkzee seeing United's best opening parried by Ederson and Manuel Ugarte flashing wide of the target. At the other end, Phil Foden fired wide from eight yards out while Omar Marmoush forced Andre Onana into action after sweetly meeting a half-volley. The result did little for either club and Neville was disappointed by the pleasantries on show after the final whistle, believing they were the symptom of a larger problem. He also accused the two rivals of lacking the courage needed to win the game. Manchester United and Man City played out a drab goalless derby draw at Old Trafford Neither side was able to create a clear-cut chance, forcing them to settle for a point Gary Neville ripped into the spectacle and accused both sets of players of being 'robotic' Speaking on Sky Sports, Neville said: 'The love-in that I'm watching tells you that both teams feel happy with a 0-0. I think the best City teams and the best United teams would be very disappointed at the end of that game with the way they approached it. 'I mean, it looks like it's Sunday afternoon - they're gonna go for a roast dinner now. 'They're micromanaged within an inch of their lives - so robotic, that game - and quite symptomatic, actually, of a lot of games that we're watching nowadays. 'It's not good enough. I feel disappointed. 'It's a Manchester derby and it should have more blood, thunder, and risk, and courage involved in playing the game and trying to win the game than that. ' United boss Ruben Amorim admitted his side must improve in 'every aspect' after another blunt performance, telling Sky Sports: 'Every player can improve, they are here because they showed something at other clubs. They have the quality. 'We are still a team that plays on transition. We need to spend more time in final third to have more opportunities. ' But captain Bruno Fernandes was content to take a point even if the hosts, who are 13th in the table, were sorely missing 'killer instinct' when in dangerous positions. The result does little for either club with City still fifth and United languishing in 13th place Joshua Zirkzee saw United's best opening of the game palmed away by Ederson Phil Foden fired wide from eight yards out (pictured) while Omar Marmoush's strike was saved 'Happy with the performance, ' Fernandes told Sky Sports. 'Obviously, the result - not the one [we wanted] to win games. And we need points in the league. 'We are aware of that. Obviously, we played against a very good side. I think the game was there for both teams. I think we were a little bit more dangerous. 'We created more opportunities. We just need to have more of the killer instinct to get the goals. In the first half, I think we had too many chances, and we have to get one. 'When you play against City, they want to have the ball. They will overload places and sides, and you have to be patient with your pressure. But we did that very well today. 'We were very well organised. But as I said, the killer instinct today was missing a little bit. But we created a lot of chances. That's a good point. '
Share what you think
The comments below have not been moderated.
The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of Mail Online.
By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your Mail Online comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to Mail Online as usual. Do you want to automatically post your Mail Online comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to Mail Online as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on Mail Online. To do this we will link your Mail Online account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy. Published by Associated Newspapers Ltd Part of the Daily Mail, The Mail on Sunday & Metro Media Group