Jose Mourinho and Pep Guardiola went head to head for the first time in English football in Saturday’s derby between Manchester United and Manchester City at Old Trafford.
The managers had drawn just as much the focus as the players – if not more – in the build-up to the eagerly-anticipated Premier League fixture.
Here, we take a look at how the match went for the two men as Guardiola’s City beat Mourinho’s United 2-1.
PRE-MATCH AND POST-MATCH
While there was plenty of talk as the game drew near about the stormy history of their relationship, the two managers tried to play down their personal rivalry on Friday at their press conferences.
And in the final seconds before kick-off, there was a warm-looking embrace between as they clasped hands and briefly hugged, with Mourinho at least appearing to be smiling.
There was then a similar touchline meeting at the final whistle. Mourinho would have been in a miserable mood at that point, but both he and Guardiola gave the impression of harmony to the cameras.
TOUCHLINE ANTICS
Both managers – Guardiola in particular – were animated at times in the technical area, although not in any way towards each other.
The most eye-catching moment on the touchline occurred in the first half when Guardiola found himself in a minor skirmish – with Wayne Rooney.
The City boss grabbed the ball as it went out of play and Rooney, looking to take a throw quickly, was unhappy Guardiola did not immediately hand it over to him, with a brief struggle between the two ensuing. Moments later it was over and they had shaken hands – each perhaps feeling a little embarrassed.
Mourinho spent most of the first half looking glum at his players’ performance and making the occasional note in his book, presumably about how to change things around.
His mood – if not his demeanour – would have improved with Zlatan Ibrahimovic making it 2-1 towards the end of the first half and his side playing better after the break following a change in personnel, before the final whistle confirmed it as a disappointing day for the Portuguese.
TACTICS
With City outplaying United in the first half with their hard-working, aesthetically pleasing brand of football, it looked very much like the idealist Guardiola had once again got the better of the pragmatist Mourinho.
Having come back into it with the goal just before the interval, United then looked more threatening in the second half, with Marcus Rashford and Ander Herrera on for the ineffective Jesse Lingard and Henrikh Mkhitaryan. But it was Guardiola’s methods which proved victorious in the end.