Teenage sensation Marcus Rashford struck again as Manchester United won 1-0 at Manchester City on Sunday to rekindle their top-four challenge and fatally compromise their derby rivals’ Premier League title hopes.
Buoyed by their historic Champions League success against Dynamo, City had attacked the game with purpose and twice went close to taking the lead through Jesus Navas in the early stages.
Fernandinho also headed over the bar from a Navas corner, but United’s pace on the break gave them a ready outlet and in the 16th minute they struck.
Juan Mata fed Rashford on the edge of the box and the youngster planted Demichelis on his backside before tucking a shot past Hart to claim his own piece of derby history.
Shorn of captain Kompany and Otamendi, City were always likely to be vulnerable in central defence and Hart was called into action moments later to beat away a shot from Anthony Martial.
An apparent groin injury to Sterling gave Pellegrini an opportunity to bolster his midfield, with Fernando entering in place of the England international and Yaya Toure moving forward.
It put Toure in a better position to inflict damage and he twice went close to equalising, curling narrowly wide with his left foot and then stabbing off-target after Bacary Sagna flicked on a Navas free-kick.
But Rashford had not finished his torment of Demichelis and in first-half stoppage time he went down in the box after the Argentine stepped across his path, only for referee Michael Oliver to dismiss his penalty appeal.
There was more to come for Demichelis after the break as an under-hit back-pass almost let Martial in, obliging Hart to make a rushed clearance.
In doing so, the England goalkeeper damaged his calf and had to be stretchered off, with League Cup final penalty shootout hero Willy Caballero taking his place.
Demichelis’s nightmare was brought to an end shortly after when he was hooked in favour of Wilfried Bony, which saw Fernandinho drop into central defence.
City looked there for the taking and United poured forward in search of the reassurance a second goal would bring, Caballero parrying a deflected effort from Martial and Fernandinho blocking fortuitously from Rashford.
But the hosts survived to go in search of an equaliser, with Sergio Aguero lashing a shot wide and heading against the post from Toure’s cross.
Still City came forward, but Toure was unable to pick out Bony after Aguero looped a header across goal and both Navas and Fernandinho sent efforts into the stand behind De Gea’s goal.
Six minutes of injury brought one last sight of goal for Aguero, but after chesting down Silva’s pass, he slammed wide.