Defenders
Signed from Ajax two years ago, Timothy Fosu-Mensah is predominantly a centre-back who is sometimes deployed in midfield, so it was something of a surprise to see him on the right of a four-man defence. Only once putting a foot wrong - when he slipped over before quickly recovering his feet to regain possession in a flash - the former Holland Under-17 captain ruined much of Brendan Barker's night by keeping him under a tight leash at all times. Indeed it was only when Barker moved to the opposite flank that the City winger was allowed any sort of space to work with and Sinan Bytyqi instead had to deal with Fosu-Mensah's attention. The Dutchman also managed to surge forward a couple of times, causing problems high up the pitch.
With their full-backs seemingly unable to push up and support their attack, there was little by way of a standout figure in City's back four. Despite keeping Keane under wraps for long periods, it was a defensive error that allowed United's main man to set up the only goal of the game when centre-backs Kean Bryan and Adarabioyo gave him too much space. Keane then punished them by turning too easily past Adarabioyo and setting up Rothwell.
Midfielders
Bytyqi has already sampled first-team football in the League Cup under Manuel Pellegrini and while Barker struggled down the left flank - in no small part due to the excellent work of Fosu-Mensah - Bytyqi on the opposite wing was the regular creative force behind City's best attacks. Showing no shortage of trickery and ability on the ball, the Austrian also displayed his commitment and persistence, on one occasion winning the ball off left-back Joe Riley before nutmegging him and driving into the United penalty area early in the second half to set-up a goalscoring opportunity.
It was Josh Harrop who most impressed in the middle of the park for United and the central midfielder was arguably the man of the match despite his night looking like it was about to be curtailed after just 30 minutes when he went down clutching his groin. The Stockport-born youngster shrugged off the niggle and came close to doubling United's lead when his jinking run drew Adarabioyo into a clumsy challenge 25 yards from goal and he then hauled himself off the turf to curl a fierce free-kick round the wall, forcing Gunn to beat the ball away.
The England Under-20 international went dangerously close again at the start of the second half when his curled effort just went wide of the far post with Gunn rooted to the spot. Always looking to be a creative, positive force, Harrop was one of the most dymanic players on display and it was a shame for the home side when the groin problem appeared to flare up after an hour and he did eventually hobble off early.
Forwards
All eyes were on Keane from the outset after the 23-year-old (who was the only 'over-age' player on display for United) scored five goals in a 7-0 win over Norwich on Monday night. With four loan spells already under his belt he looks more likely than not to leave United in the summer in the search of first-team football and he will have impressed his suitors with this performance, albeit in a rather more under-stated manner than earlier in the week.
A heavy touch meant he wasted United's first chance of the match when gifted a one-on-one with Gunn but he displayed his confidence by shooting from range just a minute later. Indeed it was courtesy of Keane that United took the lead after 15 minutes, beating the offside trap with a smart run before cutting inside and calmly playing in Rothwell when he might have been tempted to go it alone. The lone striker's hold-up play was one of the most notable features of his game, retaining possession well and United could have doubled their lead when a brilliant defence-splitting Keane pass played in James Weir who couldn't hit the target just before the hour-mark. He might have expected to score 10 minutes from time when firing just wide of the mark from close range.
Fresh from making his first-team debut in the 3-1 defeat against Leicester City last weekend, it was left to Bersant Celina to lead the Manchester City line, but the Norwegian struggled to get involved in large portions of the match. Forced to drop deep to find the ball, he did manage to create City's best move of the first half, threading a great pass between centre-backs to find Manu Garcia, whose poor touch wasted a clear view on goal. It was little surprise when Celina was taken off for David Faupala after an hour.
How they lined up (or how BT Sport incorrectly predicted they would line up)
- Telegraph