Manchester City holds fort

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David Moyes’s first derby as Manchester United manager turned into a nightmare on Sunday as Manchester City inflicted a humiliating 4-1 defeat at a triumphant Etihad Stadium.
With Robin van Persie absent due to a groin strain, a limp and lacklustre United were dominated from kick-off on a sunny afternoon in northwest England. They saw City take control through firsthalf goals from Sergio Aguero and Yaya Toure, and quick-fire strikes from Aguero and Samir Nasri in the second period meant the game was over after only 50 minutes.
Wayne Rooney scored a fine late free-kick to become the outright leading scorer in the fixture, but it could not stop City’s fans revelling in a victory almost as seismic as their 6-1 win at Old Trafford in October 2011. “Maybe the game meant a little bit more to us than for them,” City captain Vincent Kompany told Sky Sports.
“When we won 6-1 at Old Trafford, I said we need to stay humble. It’s only three points, but it’s a good game to win and it gives the fans something to celebrate over the next few days.” The 2011 victory paved the way for City’s subsequent title triumph, and after a dream first derby as manager, Manuel Pellegrini saw his side climb to third place in the Premier League table, two points behind leaders Arsenal.
“Normally you don’t expect to win 4-1 against Manchester United, but the most important thing is the way we played. I’m very happy for the team,” said Pellegrini. “We’re just starting our work and winning the derby will of course give us a lot of confidence.” “We never got a grip of the game and we could never really stop them,” Moyes said.
“The start to the season could be a lot better. We did say it could be a difficult start. I wasn’t convinced when the balls came out of the Premier League bag and I’m still not convinced,” he added. ARSENAL GO ON TOP Arsenal went to the top of the EPL table after a 3-1 victory at home to Stoke on Sunday.
Wales midfielder Aaron Ramsey, who suffered a potentially career-threatening leg injury following a poor tackle by Stoke’s Ryan Shawcross three years ago, made it seven goals in eight games when he gave Arsenal a fifthminute lead at the Emirates Stadium with a close-range strike after Potters goalkeeper Asmir Begovic had palmed away a Mesut Ozil free-kick.
Tottenham Hotspur will join them on 12 points if they win away to Cardiff.