Manchester Utd 2 Manchester City 1:VISITING SIDES are finding Old Trafford a distressingly traditional place. Teams arrive with a plan and leave with a frown.

That has often been the case, but this season could well be unusual even by Manchester United’s standards. They have not gone through a Premier League campaign undefeated on their own ground since 2000. In the remainder of this season the highest-ranked side still to meet them there are Chelsea, who are fifth.

Alex Ferguson’s side emphasised the current intimidating trait on Saturday by outdoing opponents who had been their equals throughout the match. The result was particularly galling for Manchester City since Wayne Rooney could have been saving his one sure touch of the day for the winner 12 minutes from the end. Even in the build-up, the ball had clumped off his knee before Paul Scholes redirected it to Nani. The winger’s cross then took a small deflection, before a wonderful overhead kick from Rooney settled the outcome.

He might have the build of the boxer he was as a youngster, but modern training has evidently also made him something of a gymnast. Of late, Rooney has often shown elasticity by tying himself in knots. There have been only five league goals, with all but one recorded at Old Trafford. While Dimitar Berbatov has been assiduous in making up any shortfall, the Bulgarian was a substitute on Saturday.

United’s schemes are far from impeccable and Ferguson salted the praise with a reprimand. He directed attention to subdued away form in the league, where Berbatov has four goals on those travels and Rooney one. Whatever the flaws, the side is used to muddling its way to success. The unbeaten run in the league was only halted early this month, at Wolves. Few have been in awe of them, but so long as the veterans such as Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs sustain their careers talent and knowhow will have an impact.

Others are undervalued and Nani, while he is no Cristiano Ronaldo, made City apprehensive. There was an exuberant decisiveness to his opener in the 41st minute as he got inside the City left-back Pablo Zabaleta to complete a move constructed by Giggs. The visitors, who had never been subdued, levelled the score 20 minutes into the second half. A cross from one substitute, Shaun Wright-Phillips, reached another, Edin Dzeko, and his attempt flew home because of a deflection off the back of David Silva.

It might have been an undignified manner in which to score, but the outstanding Silva deserved to see his presence register. He had not made the most of his opportunity when he fired wide in the fourth minute after a deft build-up by Carlos Tevez. As Mancini implied afterwards, there is some sort of mental barrier that has to be surmounted before a major power such as United are overcome. He has not beaten Ferguson’s side in the league since getting the City job in November 2009.

As time passes, Mancini looks increasingly ready to allow a little more expressiveness. His hunch that Yaya Toure, formerly known as a defensive midfielder, can play closer to the attack is being vindicated, but City do remain a team under development. It is not apparent yet that he has figured out what to do with Dzeko. The notion that he could simply be paired with Tevez is tactical heresy now it is deemed rash to have two outright strikers.

Dzeko has sometimes been put towards the left, but it seems more natural he should be at centre-forward, with the inexhaustible Tevez better equipped to roam and sometimes assist as an attacking midfielder. There is virtually nothing still to be settled at United. While Rio Ferdinand was injured, there was no disruption at all as the 21-year-old Chris Smalling was calm and flawless.

It will be no easy assignment to create a new United line-up to match the ones Ferguson has produced in the past, but efforts are being made and he referred in his programme notes to a transfer he had not been able to conclude in January. With City far from discouraged and Chelsea reaching for the chequebook, there will be rivals in due course to join the present Arsenal side. United, nonetheless, are well used to meeting the challenge.

Guardian Service