Man City are in danger of running out of legs as Hugo Viana sees trouble up close

Pep Guardiola took the unusual decision of having a stroll on the pitch before kick-off, enjoying the sunshine before his Manchester City players came out to warm up. Then the players took the increasingly usual and exasperating decision of having a stroll while the game was going on to mean more points dropped in a dull Manchester derby draw bereft of quality.

Much was said in the build-up about how this derby had less riding on it than usual, and it was true. City are only fighting for a top-four finish rather than being in a title race and United are 13th.

Rather than either team embrace the derby spirit however, they were sucked into the mediocrity that has torpedoed their seasons. City could have been behind inside the opening minute, Alejandro Garnacho being brought down on the edge of the box by Ruben Dias after getting through the Blues far too easily.

As at Bournemouth a week ago, City's team sported the same midfield of four players aged 30 or over and it generated the same concerns that it had done on the south coast. Using Bernardo Silva to help out Matheus Nunes at right-back did little to ease the fears of City fans.

The romantics were hoping for something special from Kevin De Bruyne in his last Manchester derby, and he captained the team days after his announcement that he would not be continuing at the club next year to bring a glorious 10 years to an end.

Sadly for all Blues and Hugo Viana, watching on from the directors' box, it was yet more evidence of the spark that the 33-year-old Belgian is now missing.

That wasn't limited to just him though, with the whole XI seeing plenty of the ball and getting it given to them by United in promising positions yet never really looking like doing anything