Man City left with difficult truth after Man Utd's smash-and-grab win in blistering derby

Manchester United were heading for defeat at the Etihad when Amad was hauled down for a penalty before the winger struck a late winner in the space of a few minutes against their fierce rivals

This one will go down in Manchester derby folklore.

The incredible last-gasp comeback from Manchester United which pushed their bitter rivals into a full-blown crisis. United winger Amad inspired the sort of turnaround they will talk about for years to come. From the brink of defeat, United conjured up an unforgettable victory.

It was the stuff of legend. It is a long way from the Nou Camp and the Champions League glory of 1999 but few clubs fight until the bitter end like United. And in doing so, it meant Manchester City imploded again in the most spectacular fashion.

It is difficult to see how on earth Pep Guardiola turns things around from a point where his players look shattered, beaten and, worst of all, well and truly cooked. It was a pretty awful advert for the Premier League for 88 minutes but the twist in the tale was just sensational. City just threw it in the space of 115 seconds.

Amad seized on an awful mistake by Matheus Nunes to win a penalty which Bruno Fernandes scored and then the United winger rounded it off with a sensational finish in the 90th minute to snatch victory. The harsh truth for City was that once United had equalised, the away side looked odds-on to win, such is the fragile confidence in Pep Guardiola’s players.

This City team needs as big a rebuild as Ruben Amorim will look to impose at Old Trafford because the reigning champions are a pale shadow of their former selves. Kevin De Bruyne is a distant memory of his glory days. Ilkay Gundogan is just plain slow. And even players like Jeremy Doku just run down blind alleys.

They are a team on the way down. It is now one win in 11 for the reigning champions. City have lost their fear factor and now look one of the most vulnerable teams in the Premier League.

That was just perfect for United who, in all honesty, are a long way from being where they need to be. Amorim has such a big job on his hands. But United’s never-say-die spirit is still in their DNA.

You can file this one under the great recent derbies for pure last-gasp drama alone. Well, you certainly would not remember it for much else. The first half was so poor in quality that you could have been mistaken for thinking it was a turgid mid-table clash.

This is a poor Premier League season, separated only by Liverpool running away with it and Chelsea making a valiant effort to keep up. As for the rest? Bang average. City’s opener even came after a big deflection.

De Bruyne and Bernardo Silva worked a quick corner routine, De Bruyne’s cross was deflected off Amad and there was City defender Josko Gvardiol to head home. There was an embarrassing bust-up as Kyle Walker pushed Rasmus Hojlund.

The pair squared up, put their heads together and Walker went down like a sack of spuds. It looked so poor. They both got booked. You expected City to take charge. But it was actually United who got more dangerous, Amad went close with a header. Fernandes went clean through, looked certain to score and then put it wide.

Then it became the Amad show. Nunes had made a dodgy start, got much better and then undid all his good work. He dropped a back-pass short, Amad nicked the ball and then Nunes raced back and upended the United winger. It was a clear penalty which Fernandes converted.

Even more followed. Lisandro Martinez’s ball forward sent Amad away, the City defence had switched off and the United hero knocked the ball past keeper Ederson, then somehow scored from such an acute angle. What a finish.

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