Manchester City vs. Manchester United: 5 Things We Learned from the Derby

"The challengers in the blue corner, the champions in red," Martin Tyler noted with characteristic gravitas as the game inched toward kickoff.

It seemed strange that such a heavyweight bout would take place on a Monday, when the prime-time Sunday night time slot would have been so much more fitting.

But there we were. Both teams had made changes from the first derby, a 6-1 Manchester City rampage at Old Trafford back on Oct. 23. City had three new players on the pitch, United five. Of course, one of those new Red Devils was Ji-Sung Park, who never seems to miss a key match in the decisive matches of April and May.

While the Korean's work rate in the first half was admirable, his lack of playing time (he'd been an unused substitute in United's previous five matches before this) showed. He was earnest when he tried to link up play, but his touch just wasn't there.

That would prove an indication of the entire United side on the night. They'd come to defend and look to break via the counter—their 4-5-1 formation to start the match testified to that—yet they were undone by a City side who were playing at their best and earned a 1-0 victory on Vincent Kompany's header off a corner just before halftime.

United had no answer for City's midfield, which enacted some positively sumptuous spells of attacking build up. Yaya Toure perhaps played the game of the season for any City player.

A heavyweight match, this was—it very nearly boiled over around 70 minutes when a crunching Nigel de Jong challenge on Danny Welbeck drew the considerable ire of Sir Alex Ferguson, who had to be held back as he looked to lunge at Roberto Mancini.

One look at the Scotsman's clenched fists told you everything.

But once the game was gone, the image of Sir Alex slumped in his seat was the more telling. He knew his side had been outplayed, and there was nothing he could do about it. The Premier League title is now out of their hands: City control their own fate now.

Forget Chelsea and United: Manchester City Mastered the Counter on Monday

Chelsea, masters of the counter during their recent semifinal triumph over Barcelona in the Champions League, could still learn a thing or two from their Manchester United rivals.

United had two clear counters in the first 20 minutes, with Rooney—dropping deep from his central forward position—providing the outlet in the center of the park. The native Liverpudlian and second-leading scorer in the Premier League immediately turned to his left to look for Nani, who engaged on lung-bursting runs to get out into space on the right flank.

Those would prove the only real occasions that United would mount a concerted attack, save for a good five-minute stretch toward the latter end of the first half. Even those buildups never resulted in City keeper Joe Hart being tested.

And for the rest of the game, save for some positive stretches of extended pressure in the second half from United.

For the rest of the time, City's midfield were dominant, and the second-half substitution of Nigel de Jong for Carlos Tevez ensured that the Citizens would not be caught off the break. (De Jong deputized as a fifth defender, a sort of roving sentinel for his spell in the match.)

In the end, United didn't have enough in them to pick off City on the counter. They've done it so often under Sir Alex Ferguson, but City were resolute and unflappable.

Despite the positive impact of substitute Danny Welbeck, United never really got in it on the night. That's a testament to Mancini's tactics and the team's resolve.

Carlos Tevez Puts in an Important Shift Up Top

By the time 30 minutes had gone, Carlos Tevez's jersey was soaked. You certainly couldn't fault the Argentine's determination in the match, but it looked as if his decision to take off most of the season was coming back to bite him.

But he would have none of it. That Tevez grew in force as the first half went on and was all the more impressive given how few games he's played in 2012 for City. He was one of their best attackers.

It took him awhile to get into the game, with his first touch as heavy as his legs looked for most of the time. But once he got going on the break, there was that trademark freight train force we've grown so used to seeing over the years.

He made way in the second half for Nigel de Jong, but City fans had to be thankful for his showing. He was one of the most industrious players on the night.

If You're Going to Park the Bus, You Have to Be Sure to Mark Up

It was the type of defensive mishap—a lack of persistence in man marking—that United have been so successful in avoiding in recent seasons.

But those four goals conceded against Everton last weekend at Old Trafford have appeared to rock the Red Devil boat.

City's first goal, coming off a corner in first-half stoppage time, saw defender Vincent Kompany shirk Chris Smalling—who'd been tasked with covering him—and rise highest to smash home a header for the lead.

It was a cruel twist of fate for United, who had defended so resolutely throughout the entire half, bending to the onslaught of City pressure but refusing to break.

They'd often played 10 men behind the ball with Wayne Rooney isolated up top as the outlet. And to their credit, they'd done it quite well, with David de Gea tested only a handful of times.

But all it takes in football is one crucial mistake to undo all that hard work. Kompany, on a yellow card at the time, made sure he provided it.

City were superior to United in defense. Gael Clichy was immaculate and even lodged his first shot on goal in nine years. With that kind of statistic, you know you're in for a long night if you're United.

City's Midfield the Difference

It took Samir Nasri some five minutes to get his first touch in the match, but from then on, he was brilliant.

Combining perfectly at times with his other midfielders and forwards (most notably Sergio Aguero), the Frenchman played most of the match out on the right, but in no way did he drift out of the game.

Despite blowing a sure-fire opportunity to seal the game off during the closing stages (he attempted a sort of waltz into the goal as opposed to firing a shot from five feet away), Nasri could be pleased with his performance.

This was, mind you, just three weeks since he'd looked clueless against Arsenal.

But even Nasri had to tip his cap to Yaya Toure, who was easily the Man of the Match for the game. The Ivorian appeared to grow stronger as the game went on, embarking upon searing runs of pace—the most telling visual was seeing Paul Scholes attempt to track back, but unable to keep up with Toure's stride—and distributing and defending with aplomb.

Some cast doubt over his inclusion in the PFA Team of the Year (yours included) due to his extended absence at the African Cup of Nations. On Monday night, he cast all those naysayers aside with one foraging sweep, as graceful as his sliding tackles were for most of the night.

You win with players who respond, and just as Toure had scored a searing goal in last year's FA Cup final against Stoke, so today, he did make an indelible imprint upon the game.

Mancini's four midfielders were vastly superior to United's five. Toure, providing the engine, made sure of that.

There's No Reason to Think City Can't Win the Title Now

They now sit level with United in first place on points, but boast a superior goal difference (plus-61 to plus-53) than their neighbors.

A tricky away fixture to Newcastle United awaits them next weekend, but there's no reason to think that, with today's immaculate performance as an indicator, they will slump to the finish line now.

They'd hinted at it earlier in the season, when it looked for all the world as if United would make yet another late run at a title, but City have responded when they most needed to.

If they play this well, there's no team in the Premiership who can beat them.