Aaron Finch: Australia facing 'must-wins' against Bangladesh, West Indies

Captain admits England “dominated us from the start” but remains confident in side’s ability

Matt Roller30-Oct-20212:07

Moody: Lack of batters’ form hurting Australia

Aaron Finch has insisted that Australia are “a very good team in T20 international cricket” despite their eight-wicket hammering against England in Dubai on Saturday night, but he recognised that the scale of their defeat – with 50 balls to spare – leaves them with two “must-wins” against Bangladesh and West Indies in their last two Super 12s fixtures.Australia opted to revert to the six-batter, five-bowler strategy that they had ditched on the eve of the T20 World Cup, bringing Ashton Agar back into the side in place of Mitchell Marsh, but Finch was immediately left rueing the decision as he watched wickets fall around him. Australia slipped to 21 for 4 and then 51 for 5, and despite a late flurry taking them to 125 all out, then watched England knock the runs off two wickets down inside 12 overs.”It was just one of those nights,” Finch said. “Davey [David Warner] got a decent one early, Smithy [Steven Smith] toe-ended one and Maxi [Glenn Maxwell] missed a pick-up off his pads which you’d generally expect him to hit. That can happen in the powerplay when you’re looking to be aggressive. [We were] just blown away.”They completely dominated us from the start. Any time you go a handful down in the powerplay… every time we felt like we started to get a partnership together, we just kept losing a wicket and it just meant we had to sit in longer, try and get a total of 150, and see if that would be competitive. As it was, we probably needed a few more.

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“It wasn’t too long ago that we were No. 1 in the world. I still think we’re a very good team in T20 international cricket. Everyone’s got their own opinion so that doesn’t really matter; what really matters is results. If you think that we’re a really ordinary side, that’s okay.”Finch explained that the decision to restore Agar to the side owed to the fact Australia saw him as “a really good match-up for England”, given their openers’ relative struggles against left-arm orthodox spin and his previous success against them (he took five wickets and conceded 7.83 runs an over on their tour there last year).Related

  • Australia expect 'trial by spin' against Bangladesh as semi-final hopes hangs in balance

  • Chris Woakes basks in honeymoon phase of his second T20I coming

  • Rise of Woakes, Moeen adds to England's World Cup power play

  • As it happened – Australia vs England, Men's T20 World Cup, Super 12s

“Clearly when you go three down in the powerplay, it’s not an ideal scenario when you go in with that structured team,” Finch said. “The reason Agar was in there was that we felt he was a really good match-up for England.”His ability to bowl in the powerplay and through the middle overs in the past against England has been really good so we just felt that was the way to go tonight. It was not a reflection on how Mitch has been going at all – it was purely just a match-up thing for this game. It was unfortunate that we didn’t get the job done.”I think obviously in the powerplay, they bowled very well, put us on the back foot, and we were under pressure to try and get to a competitive total. All credit to England, in that powerplay, the way that they squeezed us, kept taking wickets… when you go in with six specialist batters, that is going to leave you a little bit short at times.”Australia may need to win both of their remaining Super 12s games to ensure qualification after the hit to their net run-rate, with games against Bangladesh in Dubai on Thursday and West Indies in Abu Dhabi on Saturday to come – both of whom beat Australia in their recent T20I series. Finch said that the squad would have a couple of days off after a short turnaround following their win against Sri Lanka, and acknowledged that they could not afford another off-night.”The boys deserve a couple of days off,” he said. “We’ll recharge the batteries, have a couple of strong days of training and then be back into it: I’m not concerned about carrying baggage into a different game against a totally different opposition.”They’re definitely must-wins. Our net run-rate took a hammering tonight so we’re going to have to be at our best. Bangladesh are a very, very good side and so are the West Indies – a lot of firepower in their team, a lot of experience. It’s must-win from now on – but we’re looking forward to it.”

Sultana century and Fahima, Ferdus five-fors give Bangladesh huge win

The win – their biggest in ODIs in terms of runs – gave Bangladesh an NRR boost and put them top of the points table

Firdose Moonda10-Apr-2025Bangladesh captain Nigar Sultana scored her first ODI hundred, off just 78 balls, and led her team to their highest total in the format and a thumping win over Thailand in their women’s World Cup Qualifier in Lahore on Thursday. Sultana was ably supported by Sharmin Akhter, who shared in two century stands and was unbeaten on 94, as Bangladesh posted the highest total of the tournament so far. The Bangladesh spin twins Fahima Khatun and Jannatul Ferdus did the rest.Fahima, the legspinner, and Ferdus, the offspinner, shared all ten Thailand wickets between them, both recording five-fors. Ferdus was playing in just her third ODI and bowling in this format for the first time and ended with figures of 5 for 7, which included a double-wicket maiden in her opening over. The more experienced Fahima, in her 45th match, took her first five-for to finish with 5 for 21.Thailand were bowled out for 93 inside 29 overs, their lowest ODI total, while Bangladesh secured their largest victory by runs in this format – 178.As the result suggests, Thailand had little joy from the fixture, though it started with an early wicket. In the fourth over, Ishma Tanjim reached for a wide delivery from Phannita Maya and got a thick edge through to the wicket-keeper Nannapat Koncharoenkai. From there, it was all Bangladesh. Fargana Hoque and Akhter put on 104 runs off 141 balls for the second wicket in a partnership that set Bangladesh up. Hoque brought up her fifty shortly after the halfway stage, off 75 balls, and then showed an intent to accelerate. But she top-edged an attempted slog sweep off Onnicha Kamchomphu and was caught at midwicket.That brought Sultana to the crease and her energy immediately upped the tempo. She found boundaries with the cut and the sweep and then began her charge against the spinners, with confident strikes through the leg side. Her fifty came off 45 balls, and she needed just 33 more to get to her century. Impressively, Bangladesh scored 77 runs in the last ten overs and topped their previous highest ODI score of 252 by 19 runs. The 152-run stand between Sharmin and Sultana was Bangladesh’s highest third-wicket partnership in ODIs.[File photo] Fahima Khatun picked up her first ODI five-for•CWI

The only thing they were unable to do was give Sharmin enough of the strike to get to a century. She was on 92 and facing in the final over but could only get a couple of singles. Four of Thailand’s seven-bowler attack conceded at six runs an over or more, including three of their spinners. Bangladesh’s attack was much tighter and more difficult to get away.They opened with spin at one end in the form of Nahida Akter and Thailand negotiated the early exchanges well. Their opening pair put on 38 in eight overs before Fahima was brought into the attack. She struck with her first ball, which she tossed up as Chanida Sutthiruang played down the wrong line and was bowled. Fahima continued to puzzle Thailand as Koncharoenkai played for turn against a delivery that straightened and Nattaya Boochatham missed a sweep and was trapped lbw. Thailand were 47 for 3 inside 15 overs, and things were about to get much worse.Ferdus bowled Natthakan Chantham with her second ball when she took out middle stump with a perfect offspinner. She ended that over with an almost identical ball to dismiss Maya. Before she conceded a run, Ferdus took a third when Naruemol Chaiwai offered a catch to Rabeya Khan at slip. Aphisara Suwanchonrathi scored the first run off Ferdus and then became her fourth wicket, at the start of the next over. She snuck through Suwanchronrathi’s bat-pad gap to find leg stump. Ferdus completed her five-for in her fifth over when she accepted a caught-and-bowled chance from Sunida Chaturongrattana.Fahima already had her fourth by then and was kept on in search of a five-for. She got there with the penultimate ball of her eighth over, when Onnicha Kamchomphu was hit on the pad in front of leg stump.All six teams have now played a match each and Bangladesh, by virtue of their superior net run-rate, top the table. The top two teams will qualify for the ODI World Cup to be held in India later this year.

Mehidy's heroics with bat and ball helps Bangladesh level series

He made 104 to help Bangladesh post 444 before taking five wickets to bundle Zimbabwe out for 111 to hand his side an innings win

Mohammad Isam30-Apr-2025Mehidy Hasan Miraz single-handedly routed Zimbabwe on the third day of the Chattogram Test. He made 104 to help Bangladesh post 444 before taking five wickets to bundle Zimbabwe out for 111 to hand his side an innings win.Bangladesh broke their streak of six consecutive home Test defeats. They had lost to New Zealand, Sri Lanka and South Africa, before losing to Zimbabwe in the first Test in Sylhet last week.Apart from Mehidy’s five wickets, Taijul Islam took his match tally to eight wickets with three in Zimbabwe’s second innings.In reply to Zimbabwe’s 227, Mehidy joined Shadman Islam to score a century to lift Bangladesh to a big total given they were seven down at stumps on the second day. Mehidy put together two sizable partnerships with Taijul and debutant Tanzim Hasan, who made 41. No. 11 Hasan Mahmud also supported Mehidy on his way to his second Test century.The only highlight for the visitors in this match was debutant legspinner Vincent Masekesa becoming only the third Zimbabwe player to take a five-wicket haul on Test debut.The visitors were trailing by 217 runs when they began their second innings shortly before tea. Brian Bennett was the first to go, caught at second slip by Shadman Islam off Taijul, who also removed Nick Welch for a duck. Welch, who made 54 in the first innings, was struck on his front pad. The umpire had initially given it not out, but the replays suggested it would have hit the stumps.Nayeem Hasan then dismissed Sean Williams, who gave Shadman a simple catch at second slip for 7. Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto wasn’t as fortunate, as he dropped the sitter offered by his opposite number Craig Ervine on 16.Mehidy Hasan Miraz brought up his century with a No. 11 for company•AFP/Getty Images

Mehidy then struck thrice in a short span. Ervine was showing lots of discipline until missing a charge against Mehidy, getting bowled for 25. He struck two fours in his 56-ball stay. Wessly Madhevere left a Mehidy delivery that spun back and struck him on the pads. The umpire gave it out, which was also upheld by the TV umpire on review. Madhevere fell for a duck, as did the wicketkeeper Tafadzwa Tsiga.Mehidy got his fourth wicket when Wellington Masakadza holed out to mid-off for 10. Curran, who witnessed the full batting collapse from the other end, was Mehidy’s fifth wicket. He was caught behind for 46 off 103 balls.As the light faded, Taijul removed Ngarava, caught at deep midwicket, for five. The innings ended when Mominul Haque’s direct hit caught Masekesa short of the crease, after play was extended by 20 minutes.After a delayed start on the third day due to rain, overnight batter Taijul Islam was stumped for 20, becoming Masekesa’s fourth wicket. Taijul added an important 63 runs for the eighth wicket with Mehidy, who then added a further 96 runs for the ninth wicket with Tanzim Hasan. The pair lasted 26 overs, with Mahmud reaching 41 off 80 balls with the help of two fours and a six.Mehidy reached his second Test century, hitting 11 fours and a six in his 161-ball stay that ended when Masekesa had him stumped in the 130th over. Mehidy played both the short ball and fuller deliveries with aplomb, though he got into odd positions against the bouncers. Blessing Muzarabani, Wellington Masakadza, Brian Bennett and Wessly Madhevere took a wicket apiece for Zimbabwe, apart from Masekesa’s five-for.

Ackermann caps Durham victory as Notts unbeaten run ends

Joe Clarke century carries the fight for table-toppers but in vain

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay19-May-2025An excellent team bowling effort and a vital fifty from Colin Ackermann helped Durham pick up a magnificent seven-wicket win against Nottinghamshire in the Rothesay County Championship, despite a brilliant century from Joe Clarke.It was Durham’s morning as the hosts picked up three of the nine wickets they needed including the vital scalp of Ben Slater, who made 74, which was his second half-century of the match.However, Clarke counter-attacked either side of lunch and managed to take his side into the lead before notching up his first hundred of the season.There was a late twist though as Durham’s bowling attack, led excellently by Ben Raine, roared back after tea and picked up five wickets to bowl Nottinghamshire out for 347.Durham had 18 overs to get the 91 runs needed for the win and the chase got off to a dramatic start as the hosts lost two wickets at the hands of Mohammad Abbas, but the experienced head of Ackermann saw them home.The win sees Durham move up to fourth in Division One and are just 16 points behind their opponents at the top of a congested table, while Surrey are now breathing down Nottinghamshire’s neck, as the gap at the top is just three points heading into the final game of the current block of fixtures.Slater and nightwatcher Rob Lord resumed on 67 for one, still 190 behind Durham, and their aim was to bat out the day in order to keep their unbeaten record intact
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Durham got their much-needed ealy wicket as they got Lord for 15 as he edged a James Minto ball straight to Ben McKinney in the slips. The hosts got their third soon after as Brydon Carse bowled Freddie McCann for six with one that clipped the off-stump.Slater remained at the crease and he passed fifty for the second time in the match from 69 balls. He then utilised the pace of Carse as he carved one to the boundary.The Nottinghamshire opener continued to play nicely, but he was the next man to fall as he was caught behind from a Codi Yusuf delivery for a well-made 74.Joe Clarke was joined in the middle by Jack Haynes and the former looked good as he smashed a Raine delivery to the offside boundary.Clarke then continued to take chunks out of the hosts’ lead with a lovely shot for four past third man region just before lunch.Clarke and Haynes combined for a fifty partnership and the former passed fifty for the first time this season from a rapid 58 balls.Haynes was very much a foil for Clarke’s aggression, but he departed for 24 as George Drissell got him LBW to leave Clarke needing a bit of a hand. He was very nearly out himself as a short ball from Carse was hooked towards fine leg, but Yusuf failed to take the catch with the Nottinghamshire man on 61.South African international Kyle Verreynne produced a delightful drive through the covers for four, which took his side into the lead.Durham’s chances of a win were seemingly slipping away as Verryenne continued to be positive, while Clarke looked composed.However they got a much-needed breakthrough, as Verreynne, who had looked comfortable, was then caught behind from the first ball after tea as Drissell coaxed an edge from the South African who had to depart for 38.Clarke then reached his 25th First Class century from 140 balls, but another wicket fell as Lyndon James was caught behind off the bowling of Ackermann for a duck.Durham’s excellent session continued as Raine bowled Liam Patterson-White for three and he then struck again to bowl Brett Hutton for a duck.Clarke’s excellent knock of 119 ended as he chopped on from a Yusuf delivery, setting Durham a target of 91 from 18 overs.There was more drama though, as McKinney was bowled by Abbas for a first ball duck and Emilio Gay was caught behind from the same bowler. Hutton built the pressure with a series of dots, but Ackermann plundered an Abbas ball to the boundary.The Netherlands international then clubbed an Abbas ball to the boundary to take his side within 50 and he followed that up with a lovely cover drive for four from a Patterson-White ball.Ackermann, who passed fifty, took Durham to their target, with Carse hitting the winning runs with 10 balls to spare.

Moody: Pant, Pooran price tags left LSG light on their bowling

Abhinav Mukund felt LSG were too “emotional” with their retentions of Mayank and Bishnoi before the auction too

ESPNcricinfo staff20-May-20252:41

‘Pant and Pooran buys made it tough for LSG to build a bowling unit’

After Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) were knocked out of IPL 2025 playoff contention by Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) on Monday, Tom Moody on ESPNcricinfo’s Time Out pointed out that LSG could not build a bowling unit after spending heavily on Rishabh Pant (INR 27 crore) at the auction and retaining Nicholas Pooran for a hefty sum (INR 21 crore).”The expense on Rishabh Pant and Nicholas Pooran, those two players, makes it very hard to build a very strong bowling unit,” Moody said. “Because you just don’t have the funds to compete at the auction table.”In an ideal world, it’s great to have Pooran, [David] Miller, [Mitchell] Marsh, Pant… all these are impactful batters but at the end of the day you need to bowl. You’ve got to be able to have an impactful bowling unit in powerplays. Be adaptable in the middle overs and take wicket and squeeze the opposition. And in the back-end of the innings, you need people to close the game under pressure – take wickets, bowl those really challenging overs when the opposition is going hell-for-leather against you. And I just don’t think they’ve got any of that.”Related

  • Pant points to 'gaps' created by injuries after LSG's playoff hopes end

  • Abhishek's 18-ball fifty knocks LSG out of playoffs race

In their bowling unit, left-arm pacer Mohsin Khan missed the entire season, while Mayank Yadav, who was retained by LSG, was mostly on the sidelines. Avesh Khan and Akash Deep also struggled with fitness issues, which resulted in their below-par performances while Mohsin’s replacement Shardul Thakur also tapered off after a promising start.Abhinav Mukund echoed Moody’s thoughts but also thought LSG may have erred by getting “really emotional” with their picks, especially when selecting Mayank and Ravi Bishnoi.”Avesh is a tick, but Akash has played a handful of games in the IPL,” Abhinav said. “He’s primary a red-ball bowler known in this country for his red-ball skills. And over and above that, you’ve invested in Mayank Yadav. A lot of teams get emotional about their picks, they get really emotional like ‘we’ve found him, we need to have him, we need to ensure that he’s here.’ That’s the same with Bishnoi.However despite the underwhelming bowling returns, the performance of Digvesh Rathi – the only LSG bowler to have featured in all 12 games and was also their best bowler with 14 wickets at an economy rate of 8.18 – was a positive.”But why I say they’ve gotten lucky [is] because they’ve got two players who’ve gone under the radar for them,” Abhinav added. “Which was one retention in Ayush Badoni, who’s had a very decent season, and the other is one guy who has played just two games for his state side, which is Digvesh Rathi, who has turned out to be exceptional at [INR] 30 lakhs. And then you’ve invested in another 30 lakhs bowler in Prince Yadav, who hasn’t done too badly for that kind of price.While Bishnoi was a sure starter in the XI before LSG kickstarted their campaign this time, he did not have the kind of impact that LSG expected out of him. Bishnoi played 11 matches and picked up nine wickets at an economy of 10.83.”He’s become too predictable,” Abhinav explained. “He doesn’t have a variation other than the googly, he definitely needs to work on his speeds and he needs to understand how to get out of an over once he starts getting hit.”

Aguero, Silva and the Premier League Team of the Week

A 6-1 win over Huddersfield sees Man City dominate this week's panel, but which players made the cut?

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    1FOWARD | Sadio Mane (Liverpool)

    Sadio Mane sealed Liverpool's 2-0 victory against Crystal Palace with an impressive run and finish late in the contest. He has now scored six goals in his eight Premier League appearances against Palace, more than he has against any other side

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    2FORWARD | Sergio Aguero (Man City)

    The Argentine striker scored a hat-trick against the Terriers from just four shots on target.

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    3MIDFIELD | David Silva (Man City)

    The Spaniard scored his first ever direct free-kick goal for Manchester City in their 6-1 win against Huddersfield.

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    4MIDFIELD | Eric Dier (Spurs)

    Dier completed 95% of his passes in the opposition half against Fulham (39 attempted).

Martial & Mahrez lead Premier League Team of the Weekend

The two widemen were in fine form for the two Manchester sides during another dramatic weekend of action in the English top-flight

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    Mat Ryan | Brighton and Hove Albion

    Mat Ryan made six saves in Brighton's 1-0 win over Newcastle at St. James' Park, a joint-high for the Australian in a single Premier League match.

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    Cedric Soares | Southampton

    Cedric Soares made more interceptions (four) than any other player on the pitch in Southampton's match against Bournemouth, while also supplying a joint-high three crosses from open play for the Saints.

  • ​Michael Keane | Everton

    ​Michael Keane delivered a game-high eight clearances in Everton's match against Crystal Palace, while also supplying his second Premier League assist of the season.

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    Issa Diop | West Ham United

    Not only did Issa Diop have the highest passing accuracy of any other player in West Ham's match with Tottenham (96.7%), he regained possesion more times for the Hammers than any other player (nine).

Barca with Messi & Xavi, Man Utd with Giggs & Scholes – the best academy XIs in history

Which major clubs around the world have the best academies and what do their all-time best XIs look like?

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    The best academy XIs in history

    Barcelona's La Masia academy is probably the best known producer of talent in football, but it's not the only conveyor belt of brilliance. Major clubs around the world have a history of creating future stars. Here are the all-time best XIs of many of the world's biggest clubs, containing players developed for at least two years before turning professional.

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  • Goal

    AC Milan

    Francesco Toldo; Mattia De Sciglio, Alessandro Costacurta, Franco Baresi, Paolo Maldini; Giovanni Stroppa, Demetrio Albertini, Alberigo Evani; Alessandro Matri, Marco Borriello, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang

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    Ajax

    Edwin van der Sar; Michael Reiziger, Frank Rijkaard, Frank de Boer, Ruud Krol; Clarence Seedorf, Dennis Bergkamp, Edgar Davids; Johan Cruyff, Marco van Basten, Piet Keizer.

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  • Goal

    Al-Ahly

    Thabet El-Batal, Rabea Yassin, Hassan Hamdy, Hany Ramzy, Hossam Ashour, Mokhtar Mokhtar, Taher Abouzeid, Mostafa Abdou, Mahmoud Hassan Trezeguet, Emad Moteab, Hossam Hassan

Revealed: Tunisia XI to play Burkina Faso – Jaziri leads attack in Afcon quarters

Eagles of Carthage take on the Stallions in the quarter-finals aiming at making it to the last four after eliminating Nigeria in the Round of 16

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    GOALKEEPER: Ben Said

    The custodian has been solid in goal for the team and retains his place.

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  • KARIM SAHIB/AFP/Getty Images

    RIGHT-BACK: Mohamed Drager

    The right-back was impressive against Nigeria and has once again been preferred ahead of Hamza Mathlouthi.

  • LEFT-BACK: Oussama Haddadi

    The full-back was solid against Nigeria in the last game and has been rewarded with another start.

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    CENTRE-BACK: Bilel Ifa

    Ifa has played a crucial role in helping the team keep two clean sheets in four games.

Haaland is inevitable! Man City winners, losers and ratings as Foden gets in on the act during derby demolition

City had two hat-trick heroes at the Etihad Stadium as they maintained their unbeaten start to the season in thrilling fashion

Manchester City have had some memorable derby victories in their previous 187 meetings with Manchester United, but none were as one-sided as Sunday's crushing 6-3 win at the Etihad Stadium.

Erling Haaland and Phil Foden both scored hat-tricks as United were torn apart by an incredible City attacking performance.

Two late United goals took some of the shine off what was otherwise an emphatic display from the champions, who are now the only unbeaten team in the Premier League this season.

But who were the stars, and how did the City stars rate? GOAL breaks it down:

  • The Winners

    Erling Haaland:

    He's not done against big-six sides? Well he has now. Haaland is a phenomenon – taking his tally to 17 goals in 12 City matches with a third successive hat-trick at the Etihad Stadium in the Premier League. Erik ten Hag said he wouldn't devise a plan to stop Haaland, but it might be a good idea to think about it before the return at Old Trafford next year!

    Phil Foden:

    With Wythenshawe-born Marcus Rashford starting for United on opposite sides to Stockport-lad Foden, there was a welcome local feel to the derby. Boyhood City fan Foden has enjoyed plenty of games against United both as a fan, ballboy and as a player, but this will be an extra special memory for the 22-year-old as he netted not only his first goal against United, but a hat-trick against City's bitter rivals. Foden was brilliant throughout, but it took just eight minutes to get his first goal in his eighth derby appearance – and there were two more to come on a remarkable day.

    City fans:

    Foden is the embodiment of the supporters and his joy will be amplified all across the city. There was a lot of talk ahead of the game that Ten Hag's side were closing the gap on the Premier League champions – but the reality is it might be bigger than ever. In 90 minutes, Guardiola's side show how superior they are in every department; from quality to work rate. If fans were worried their rivals were catching up, they were gone by full-time at the Etihad as they enjoyed the humiliation.

    Jack Grealish:

    This may have been the £100-million man's most impressive performance in a City shirt. Grealish set the tempo from the opening minutes when he quickly ran at Diogo Dalot and tricked him into an early yellow card. It was a non-stop performance, and it was a shame that he didn't get an assist or goal that his performance deserved. Haaland and Foden will take the headlines, but Grealish won't care about that if he keeps playing like this.

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    The Losers

    Kyle Walker:

    You will struggle to find anyone in the blue half of Manchester who feels like a loser after such an incredible victory. But Walker's afternoon didn't end as he would have wanted, when he was substituted just before half-time with a knock. The defender appeared to injure his ankle after an aerial challenge, and after missing three games before the international break, he will be praying the setback is not too serious.

    Ruben Dias:

    In a five-way fight for two centre-back positions, Dias suddenly looks like the least in favour. It's a strange position to be in for the Portugal international, who made such a significant impact in helping to sort out the backline following his arrival two years ago this week. With John Stones injured and Aymeric Laporte still on the comeback trail, Dias would have been an expected starter for the derby. But Nathan Ake and new signing Manuel Akanji were preferred, and now Dias is facing a battle to become a regular.

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    Man City ratings: Defence

    Ederson (7/10):

    Was quick off his line early on to shut down any hope United might have had of catching the home side out with long balls over the top, but will have been disappointed to concede three times.

    Kyle Walker (6/10):

    Suffered an injury setback and had a couple of dodgy moments before City killed off the visitors.

    Manuel Akanji (9/10):

    Brought back memories of Vincent Kompany in the way he elegantly controlled the defence and bullied Rashford.

    Nathan Ake (8/10):

    Has perhaps been City's standout centre-back this season and again gave a faultless performance to justify his inclusion.

    Joao Cancelo (8/10):

    Terrorised United going forward down the left-hand side but his influence was less when he switched to the right, and gave away a late penalty.

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    Midfield

    Ilkay Gundogan (8/10):

    Injuries to Rodri and Kalvin Phillips forced Gundogan back into the holding midfield role, and he made the most of the extra space to dictate the game.

    Bernardo Silva (8/10):

    Linked the defence and attack brilliantly as United had no answer in how to deal with his clever movement.

    Kevin De Bruyne (8/10):

    His link-up with Haaland is starting to get very scary for rivals with his pinpoint pass perfectly setting up another goal for the Norwegian.

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