Pep Guardiola must fix Man City’s leaky defence to salvage their season after derby defeat says Alan Shearer

IF Pep Guardiola sorts his defence out then this could still be an unbelievable season for Manchester City.

As soon as I saw the line-ups I did not fancy that back four of Joao Cancelo, Fernandinho, Nicolas Otamendi and Oleksandr Zinchenko.

It was the first time they had played together, and before the game I thought Manchester United would cause them real problems.

City did not deserve anything, with United excellent throughout.

In the first half the hosts could, and should have led by more than one.

Yes, it was a mistake by Ederson but they fell asleep at the set-piece and were punished.

Ederson should have done more but overall Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side had a number of other chances.

They came into it slightly in the second half with more possession and one or two more efforts on goal but overall they were well beaten.

While there is still all to play for, there is no denying this is a poor league campaign for City.

Yesterday’s defeat was their seventh in the league — more than Guardiola has ever had in one season throughout his career.

They just have to accept they did not deserve to take anything from the game... By contrast, United were superb and Solskjaer should get an enormous amount of credit.

They will still get enough points to finish second but otherwise it has been a disappointment.

That being said, with one cup already in the bag, their season is far from over as they chase another treble.

After a great result at Real Madrid in the Champions League they have a massive second leg to look forward to.

They are also still in the FA Cup (though not for long, I hope, with a trip to Newcastle!) and are still on course for another historic season.

With little to fight for in the league, Guardiola may well prioritise the other competitions.

He hasn’t done too many things wrong since arriving in England so whatever he decides to do, I’m sure it will be right.

I don’t think it’s a case of the players taking their eye off the ball — once out on the pitch they will all still want to win, especially against their rivals.

Right now, they just have to accept they did not deserve to take anything from the game and move on to Arsenal on Wednesday.

By contrast, United were superb and Solskjaer should get an enormous amount of credit.

That was the third time they have beaten City this season, with Solskjaer becoming only the second manager to beat Guardiola three times in one campaign.

His tactics of three at the back were spot on and there were so many good performances across the pitch.
For me, right-back Aaron Wan-Bissaka was man of the match.