'Calm annihilation' - how Pep Guardiola's tactical masterclass destroyed Manchester United

Pep Guardiola is accustomed to being the favourite when managing football matches. More often than not, his Manchester City outfit are deemed as the stronger team going into a match.

As a result of the strength of the Etihad side, opponents often decide to change tactics by fielding more defenders and midfielders than forwards. Manchester United did exactly that when they last faced City, with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer opting for a 3-5-2 system in November.

Despite that adjustment, Guardiola's men managed to win by two goals to nil. The Spaniard showcased a tactical masterclass, with Gary Neville describing the contest as a 'calm annihilation' in his analysis afterwards.

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Ahead of this weekend's Manchester derby, Guardiola will hope to establish the same level of control on the pitch this time around, and Joao Cancelo could be crucial to his plans.

Guardiola's tactical approach forced Solskjaer's back three to become a back five at the time. Phil Foden and Gabriel Jesus pinned back Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Luke Shaw by staying high and wide throughout the clash.

As a consequence of United's wing-backs failing to escape their own defensive third, Solskjaer had a midfield three and a front two ahead of his back five, which allowed Cancelo to run the game using the flanks.

As the team's left-back, the Portuguese international persistently cut inside using his favoured right foot. He occupied spaces between the flanks and the centre of the field, as shown below.

Valuable areas opened up to the sides of United's midfield bank of three, and those allowed Cancelo to accumulate more touches on the ball than any other player on the