Diallo drives United on to deepen City's despair

When Ruben Amorim oversaw his previous victory over Manchester City - with his old club Sporting in the Champions League - it was to push the reigning Premier League champions towards crisis.

- David Hytner

That was in early November and it was City's third defeat on the spin. As Amorim repeated the trick, it was to pep up his new project at Manchester United and leave Pep Guardiola on his knees.

There seems no way out of the misery for the City manager, this an eighth defeat in 11 matches in all competitions, the decline of his all-conquering team stark and extraordinary.

For so long, it had looked as though City would close out a much-needed win thanks to Josko Gvardiol's header. They were meek and uncertain throughout, lacking basic oomph but United had no cutting edge. They were powder-puff in the final third. And then, at the very end, they were not and they could embrace a result that Amorim will seek to use as a touchstone.

It was Amad Diallo, the standout performer of Amorim's fledging tenure, who made the difference. Playing in the right-sided No 10 role, Diallo was quick and direct but above all, he refused to believe that defeat was his destiny. He kept on running, ever alive to possibility and, after he had won the penalty for 1-1 - converted by Bruno Fernandes with two minutes of regulation time to play - he ran some more.

Working off Matheus Nunes and in between Gvardiol and Ruben Dias, he reached a high ball from Lisandro Martinez on the bounce and the first touch was a wonderful piece of improvisation, lifted up and to the side of the advancing Ederson. He followed it up with a volley from a tight angle that squeezed home, Gvardiol failing to clear from in front of the line.