Leroy Sane, Manchester City Beat Manchester United in EPL Derby Match

Manchester City moved one step closer to repeating as Premier League champions on Wednesday, beating rivals Manchester United 2-0 in the local derby. Bernardo Silva and Leroy Sane scored the goals in the second half.

United started well but quickly lost ground in the possession battle to their rivals, though they did at least manage to keep a clean sheet until half-time. But Silva beat David De Gea at his near post after 54 minutes, and Sane blasted a shot past the Spaniard 12 minutes later. The former Atletico Madrid keeper could have done more to save both efforts.

The result leaves the Citizens one point ahead of Liverpool in the standings with just three matches left to play.

United Must Not Cave In to De Gea Pay Raise Demands This Summer

The contract saga surrounding De Gea has dragged on for months, and the Spaniard hasn't done himself any favours in the past few weeks with several errors.

Silva's effort was a slow roller that beat him at the near post, and while Luke Shaw was the biggest culprit, De Gea was late to react. He was entirely at fault for Sane's goal, opting to try to save it with his feet and failing miserably.

That mistake meant the Spaniard set a new personal high for errors leading to goals in the Premier League:

He also blundered away against Barcelona, allowing Lionel Messi an easy goal at the Camp Nou, and his issues with distribution indirectly led to goals against both Evertonand Wolverhampton.

Fans have noticed he hasn't looked the same this season:

All of this has happened while De Gea negotiates a new contract. Per The Times' Matt Hughes (h/t Daily Mirror's Matt Maltby), both he and Paul Pogba are looking for big pay raises to offset the loss of 25 percent of their current wages if they don't qualify for the UEFA Champions League.

De Gea's poor form this season means the club should be wary of any major increase in salary. The 28-year-old hasn't proved a great fit under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, who expects his goalkeeper to be good with his feet, and there are alternatives. According to Metro (h/t Football Espana), United could replace him with Atletico Madrid's Jan Oblak, even though the latter recently signed a new contract.

De Gea will enter the final year of his contract in the summer, but United shouldn't panic and give in to all his demands until they're certain he's the right man for the job moving forward. If he can bounce back to start next season, he can earn his pay raise on the pitch.

City Will Win Premier League Title

City started this crucial derby without star midfielder Kevin De Bruyne, and they also lost Fernandinho to an injury early in the second half. It speaks volumes to both their depth and their versatility that they managed to improve their play without the Brazilian, scoring twice on their way to a win.

Leroy Sane replaced Fernandinho, meaning Ilkay Gundogan had to fill in for him at the base of midfield and Silva also moved further back. The Sky Blues barely missed a beat, with Gundogan in particular standing out.

The fact Sane started from the bench shows just how much depth the Citizens have, as evidenced by these numbers:

The remarkable depth is the main difference between the Reds, who have almost run their front three of Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane into the ground at times, and City. That they're ahead in the title race even though they missed De Bruynefor large chunks of the season says it all.

City have built a formidable squad that seemingly boasts at least two capable starters at every single position. It's a luxury no other club in the world has, and it's the reason they'll repeat as Premier League champions.

What's Next?

Both teams will be in action again on Sunday, as United host Chelsea and City visit Burnley.