Sunday’s Manchester derby lived up to the hype, offering plenty of excitement and controversy. Manchester United came out on top 3-2 after a 
rollercoaster game that sent both sets of fans on a 90-minute up and down ride.
United started well, and went ahead 1-0 on a Wayne Rooney header from an Antonio Valencia cross. Shortly after, the game had a defining moment: Vincent Kompany lunged at Nani and appeared to win the ball, but the referee saw it as a two-footed tackle and issued a straight red card to the City defender. Manchester City players, management, and fans will feel that Kompany should have been allowed to stay on the field, but the referee saw it differently and City had to play the remainder of the game with 10 men.
United looked like they would put the game away in the first half as they scored two more goals. Danny Welbeck made it 2-0 with a spectacular volley before Rooney put United up 3-0 when he finished his own rebound after his penalty kick was saved. At that point it looked like United would exact revenge for the 6-1 loss to City earlier this season, but it turned out to be a much closer game than Sir Alex Ferguson and his 
players had hoped.
City came out of the gates strong in the second half, and Aleksandar Kolarov curled in a free kick in the opening 5 minutes to give them some hope. Things got more nervous for United when the newly un-retired Paul Scholes gave the ball away and Sergio Aguero turned in James Milner’s cross to make the score 3-2.
There were more chances for both sides, but United held on for the win, and now advance to the FA Cup 4th Round where they will face Liverpool.