Manchester City vs. Manchester United: What We Learned from Manchester Derby

Manchester City put a 4-1 hurting on the Red Devils at Etihad Stadium on Sunday. This kind of blowout in a highlighted match can easily lead to abundant overreactions. 

That's understandable. A result like this is going to arose judgement-clouding levels of passion. I'm going to try to sift through that passion and come up with a few more level-headed observations from this match.

So, if you're looking for statements like "Manchester United won't win another game this season," you will probably be disappointed.

United Needs RVP

A player of Robin van Persie's caliber is impossible not to miss if he isn't on the pitch. David Moyes admitted as much following this match when talking about his talisman missing the contest due to a groin injury.

Here is a quote from Moyes provided by ProSoccerTalk's Joe Prince-Wright: “Obviously we missed Robin Van Persie. It’s a huge miss to anybody. It’s a big miss for us."

Moyes is right to put "big" in there. The Red Devils feature a potent attack when Van Persie is at the epicenter, but that all falls apart when he is removed from the eye of the storm. 

Wayne Rooney has been in fine form, and he scored United's goal, but he isn't capable of breaking down and wrecking a defense like Van Persie. That leaves more of the onus on the rest of the Red Devils, and they were not up to the task. 

Winger Antonio Valencia was floating around without a purpose. Danny Welbeck and new arrival Marouane Fellaini had a decent match, but neither was able to generate anything of note. 

The good news for the Red Devils is that this was the first EPL match Van Persie has missed in his last 80. 

Samir Nasri is Ready for a Big Year

After an up-and-down beginning at Manchester City, Samir Nasri looks far more comfortable and effective this year.

It was just last year's Manchester Derby when Nasir drew a heaping of the fans' ire. In a 3-2 loss, Nasri made a weak block attempt on a Van Persie free kick that led to Van Persie netting a goal. 

In this match, he highlighted all the positives he can bring to City. Nasri netted a goal, but beyond that, he played an effective and smart match. 

Nasri drifted to the center of the pitch often in this match, and his precision helped City control that area of the pitch. 

His intelligent and aggressive play provided for a nice forward option the entire match for City. Nasri displayed the kind of form in this contest that will help him produce a quality season. 

It's Too Early to Write Off David Moyes 

Taking over for a legend is never easy, and the last thing Moyes needed while trying to replace Alex Ferguson was a loss as ugly as the one on Sunday.

The public perception appears to be that Moyes' standing is quickly getting shaky:

Still, it is far too early to start thinking of replacements for Moyes.

Sure, the Red Devils currently sit in an unacceptable eighth in the EPL table, but this club will make strides as the season moves on, and a few ugly losses were to be expected.

Let us not forget that City beat United 6-1 at Old Trafford two years ago.