In the battle of the Manchester teams, neither came out on top.
Manchester United faced Manchester City on Wednesday, a highly anticipated match that ended in a 0-0 tie.
Spectators didn’t see much action, with only two shots on goal by City and three by United. United manager Alex Ferguson blamed City for the lackluster match.
"City are very difficult to beat on their own ground and obviously they set their stall out," Ferguson told ESPN. "I think there was too much tension for it to be the kind of match people thought it would be.”
City manager Roberto Mancini said that he purposely played a defensive game because his players were fatigued. Mancini was happy to settle for one point in a match they were determined not to lose.
Mancini is hoping to keep his team in the running for, at the very least, second place in the league. Man U has 24 points, four behind first-place Chelsea and three ahead of City. Arsenal is between United and City, with 23 points.
Mancini said that while a win would have been nice, he didn’t want to give up any last-minute goals, like they did three times against United last season.
"City did not really come forward and leave their defensive position," United goaltender Edwin van der Sar said. "They were clearly aiming for a point whereas we really wanted to win. They were so defensive I didn't have anything to do apart from [save] one free kick."
United has beaten or tied City in every Manchester Derby since February 2008.
