3 Truths: United win… but Manchester is still blue

"The city is ours, the city is ours…"

It was another embarrassing excerpt from Manchester United’s season. The fans briefly forgot their position in the Premier League table (seventh), the evening they play in Europe (Thursdays) and the comparable strength of their line-up to Manchester City – goading their rivals with a supremely awkward, and wrong, chant.

There haven’t been many smiles on the Old Trafford terraces in recent times, so it’s understandable the supporters got carried away, but the passionate sing-song only further highlighted how distant United are from their ‘noisy neighbours’. The League Cup used to be an unwelcome distraction, but its status was elevated to new heights as United desperately tried to restore some credibility. How far they’ve sunk. They need to salvage their Premier League campaign. Pronto.

Congratulations, Pep!

The Spaniard is the (less than) proud recipient of a new career record: six straight games without a win. Hardly the time for alarm bells, given the run was completed by a second string and included trips to Barcelona and Tottenham, but it does suggest City are far from the team we were all too quick to crown champions in early autumn.

It was a huge opportunity for Guardiola to increase tensions across the city. Fielding a stronger team and obliterating United – a trick well within their capabilities – would have caused more infighting and started another stream of #JoseOut amplifications. They might just reflect on a missed opportunity, despite Guardiola's insistence at full-time that he was "so proud" of his beaten reserves.

It will probably be skirted over given United triumphed, but Henrikh Mkhitaryan’s continued absence can’t be ignored. After just one start, the £26.3m Armenian has been binned off to the wilderness – despite being fully fit. While many of United’s woes have come from defensive frailties, surely they would benefit from an individual who fired 23 goals and provided 20 assists last season. Then again, Mourinho does have a peculiar way of treating certain players.