David Silva's Absence Key in City's Manchester Derby Wobble

One would think that a victory over their most hated rivals would be a cause for great celebration for Manchester City. And not just a victory—their fourth successive win over Manchester United, the first time since 1955 they have achieved that feat, and the first time ever they have managed such a run in the league.

However, such are the reversed expectations in Manchester now that United will almost be the more pleased of the teams after the game, having caused City a number of problems late on, despite finishing the match with 10 men and a defence comprised of a winger, a central midfielder and two teenagers.

That is perhaps an exaggeration, because City won 1-0 and thus stayed in touch with Chelsea at the top of the Premier League, but United had a man disadvantage for around an hour and are in what can be best described as a "transitional" phase at present.

As potential title challengers facing a depleted side whose ambitions will surely be limited to an outside chance of making the top four, City really should have put in a more convincing performance than they did.

Manuel Pellegrini's comments after the game hinted at the complacency that gave way to something close to panic as the match progressed. He told Sky Sports:

"

I'm very happy with the three points. A derby is a derby and you must win it and we won.

I think we played very well up until the moment we scored the goal, but when we scored the goal maybe we finished playing thinking that the game was over, but it wasn't over.

"

After their goal in the 63rd minute, City appeared to drop back, to almost panic in the face of some spirited attacking from the 10 men of United. City sat too deep, defended uncertainly and seemed to have problems keeping the ball in midfield.

It was an unusual sight to say the least, especially for the defending champions and a team that have held their nerve brilliantly in the past.

There were several factors that perhaps influenced these late-game problems for City, from the residual confidence issues coming from their previous poor form in defeats to Newcastle and West Ham, to the decision to take James Milner off, thus removing the dynamism from their midfield and also the introduction of Fernandinho for Sergio Aguero.

That change was reminiscent of Jose Mourinho's decision to bring John Obi Mikel on in United's draw with Chelsea the previous week, an attempt to close out the game that backfired.

However, perhaps the key element that contributed to City's wobble was the absence of David Silva. The Spanish playmaker was ruled out with a knee injury suffered in the defeat to Newcastle, and the hole that he left in the side was evident as City struggled to break down the determined 10 men of United.

Milner and Jesus Navas played well in their own way, but Silva is usually the creative fulcrum of the City side, and his injury was keenly felt as they tried to make inroads into United.

Had Silva been there to create more chances, then the game may already have been killed off by the time those final nervy minutes came around. If it hadn't, then the Spaniard would certainly have lent an aura of calmness and assurance to their play.

City's next few domestic games look relatively straightforward, so they should be able to cope without Silva against the likes of QPR and Swansea, but they also have two vital Champions League games in November, against CSKA Moscow on Wednesday and Bayern Munich later in the month.

Pellegrini will be hoping desperately that Silva's injury does not keep him out for too much longer.