As the melodious Premier League anthem drifted through the air, the players from both teams slowly emerged from the tunnel.
The Etihad Stadium immediately erupted with deafening cheers.
Since neither Antonio Valencia nor Ashley Young were starting today, Ling, as Man United's third captain, went to the center circle with City captain David Silva for the coin toss.
Match referee Anthony Taylor pulled a coin from his pocket.
It had no monetary value or decoration, merely distinguishing between heads and tails.
As the coin spun into the air and landed on Taylor's hand, David Silva won the toss.
He decisively chose to take the kickoff, since the match was being played at night with no direct sunlight issues to worry about.
Mourinho and Guardiola shook hands on the touchline and exchanged pennants.
Peter Drury: "A beautiful Manchester evening to you all! The stage is set at the Etihad. It is the noisy neighbors against the established elite. Guardiola versus Mourinho. Blue against Red. It is the Manchester Derby!"
Jim Beglin: "Looking at the lineups, Peter, City deploy their fluid 4-3-3. Kevin De Bruyne only makes the bench due to that back strain, but with Bernardo Silva in such magical form, City's strength hasn't dipped. In their last 11 matches, they've won 10, scoring 35 and conceding just 7."
Peter Drury: "And for United, Mourinho sticks to his 4-3-3. They spent over 200 million euros transforming this squad. Every position boasts elite talent. Even if United win today, they can't overtake City for the top spot due to goal difference—a lingering consequence of Ling's suspension earlier in the season. But to defend their crown, United simply must take all three points tonight!"
In the away section, the 2,862 traveling United fans united in singing adapted chants to mock their rivals.
"This is my house, this is my neighbor City! I've got Premier League titles, he'll soon get one! I've got FA Cups, he'll get one too! I've got Champions League titles... he can't get those!"
Yet their songs were quickly drowned out by the massive sea of City supporters.
"We beat United in Fergie time! Park the bus, park the bus, United only park the bus!"
A fan waved his arms angrily in the away end, shouting.
"Bloody hell, damn City! Only giving us 2,900 tickets?! Just wait until we're back at Old Trafford!"
"Tom, wouldn't beating City at their own home feel even sweeter?" another fan grinned. "Our best player is already here! There's no way we're losing this match!"
BEEEP!!!
The piercing whistle cut through the air, sending hearts racing as every eye fixed on the pitch.
City kicked off!
Immediately, Jeremy Ling charged toward Fernandinho without conserving any energy.
Rather than parking the bus in defense, United launched into an aggressive high press from the very first whistle, determined to seize early control!
Peter Drury: "United fly out of the traps! Mourinho has unleashed the hounds!"
Jim Beglin: "This completely contradicts what we expected! Usually, Mourinho sits deep against City!"
In truth, when De Bruyne was absent from City's starting lineup, Mourinho's 'Plan B' was activated.
De Bruyne possesses world-class passing and vision; given even minimal space, he can deliver lethal through balls that destroy a high press.
If De Bruyne starts, Man United will turtle in their own half and park the bus.
But Bernardo Silva? He excels in tight ball control but lacks De Bruyne's lethal, defense-splitting passing range, allowing Man United to press higher aggressively.
Moreover, the reason Man United rarely used a high press in the past actually lay in their somewhat lazy forward line.
Simply put, as long as Anthony Martial was on the pitch, Man United could never execute a successful high press because he needed to be constantly pushed to work hard.
Ibrahimović, due to his age, didn't have the extra stamina to press either.
Now, Martial had been sold off to PSG, the core of the forward line had shifted to the tireless Ling, and the right winger was the hardworking Mahrez.
The high press tactic was instantly revitalized!
Man United players showed no intention of conserving energy, fully committing to cutting off Man City's passing lanes and forcing City to shift the ball wide.
On the touchline, Guardiola's eyelid twitched uncontrollably.
Why does this tactic feel so familiar? Suddenly, it hit him.
Wasn't this a replica of how Mourinho's Inter Milan pressed his Barcelona years ago?
He used it to mock Mourinho, who had famously defeated him with tenacious defensive counter-attacking tactics.
Guardiola couldn't help but smile, turning his gaze back to the pitch.
After several passes, the ball landed at Kyle Walker's feet.
The bald Walker, facing Rashford's press, explosively accelerated down the touchline!
He is the fastest full-back in the Premier League after all!
Rashford, beaten, hurriedly chased back—regardless of his defensive skill, his attitude was commendable.
Without giving Pogba a chance to intercept, Walker passed inside to Bernardo Silva.
Silva was immediately knocked over by the advancing Matić, but he had already laid the ball back safely into Man City's half.
From a bird's eye view, Man City's method of breaking the high press was unique: first drawing Man United's entire defensive line wide, then creating a second attacking opportunity through a backward pass to reorganize.
Peter Drury: "John Stones brings it out... wait, why is he pushing past Fernandinho?!"
Jim Beglin: "Guardiola is tinkering again in a crucial match! Stones is stepping into midfield!"
As everyone knows, Guardiola dislikes traditional double defensive pivots because they compress space, violating the basic principles of his philosophy.
But a single pivot often leads to isolation issues against a high press.
Hence, the "half-back" emerged.
Stones temporarily pushed forward to form a 1.5 pivot with Fernandinho, creating numerical superiority in midfield.
Ling quickly stepped up to press Stones.
However, Man City's aim was to force Man United to switch marks.
The moment Ling changed his pressing target to Stones, Stones immediately passed to the now-unmarked Fernandinho.
Smack!
Fernandinho met the ball with a beautiful, sweeping long pass, accurately dropping it to the left flank.
Man United's high press was broken!
Under Mourinho's urging, United rapidly retreated to defend deep.
The battle for space officially began!
Man City is a team that runs into space, while Man United is one that occupies it through rigid positioning.
But in understanding football space, no one surpasses Guardiola—not even Mourinho.
Peter Drury: "David Silva brings it down with his chest... he deftly chips it over Herrera! Pure magic from the Spaniard!"
Man City fans immediately erupted in enthusiastic applause.
The Space Magician's performance wasn't over yet.
His dribbling in tight spaces rivaled Messi's, transcending mere power and speed, it was the pure, perfect utilization of space.
A series of feints not only threw Matić off balance but also provoked Eric Bailly into recklessly stepping out of the defensive line to cover.
Peter Drury: "Silva sees the gap! A brilliant through pass! It tears through Man United's defensive line! He is the king of exploiting the half-spaces!"
Jim Beglin: "Bailly has been sucked out! And look who is running into the space!"
Peter Drury: "AGÜEROOOOOOOOOO!!!"
The entire Etihad Stadium chanted one name—the man who once created the 93:20 miracle, the player who defeated Man United in Fergie Time!
Bailly's reckless challenge left Maguire to fight alone.
But facing Agüero's explosive acceleration and impeccable first touch, Maguire turned as clumsily as a giant aircraft carrier changing direction.
Agüero shook off Maguire in two quick strides.
Facing De Gea, who had rushed out, Agüero opened his body and curled the ball into the far corner to breach Man United's goal!
1-0!!!
Peter Drury: "SERGIO AGÜEROOO! Lethal! Clinical! Devastating! Manchester City draw first blood in the derby!"
Jim Beglin: "It is a tactical masterclass from Guardiola! From breaking down Mourinho's high press, to creating the overload, to targeting United's defensive setup. Bailly's habitual stepping up left the space behind, and Maguire's bulky, cumbersome frame struggles against agile attackers like Agüero. It's simply too difficult for him."
The Etihad Stadium erupted instantly.
Man City fans waved their arms in frenzied celebration.
Man United supporters stared wide-eyed, unable to believe their team had conceded within six minutes—an absurdly rapid goal.
Even during last season's struggles, they'd at least held out for dozens of minutes.
@CityZenBlue: AGUEROOOOO! Manchester is BLUE! What a pass from El Mago!
@UtdTactics: Bailly stepping out of the line again... Maguire is too slow to cover that space. We need to adjust immediately or it's going to be a long night.
@PepMasterclass: Pep completely destroyed Mou's high press by pushing Stones into midfield. Genius.