The gulf in class between Manchester City and Manchester United was exposed by the 3-1 win of the champions over their neighbors, and it also leaves United fans worrying over the future of their club.

It was looking like one of those days for the champions, as they had to come from behind to earn a sweet win. Marcus Rashford had riffled one through the roof of the net early in the first half, but the United forward was guilty of missing gilt-edged chances in the opening half.

Not many expected United to beat Manchester City at the Etihad; the performance was embarrassing, and that is where the problem lies. United had chances to nail their hosts with the chances that fell to Rashford on the break, but the signs became ominous as the second half started.

Pep Guardiola tweaked his lineup; he sent on Julian Alvarez, and Phil Foden took the rest upon himself on a big day. Two sleek goals past Andre Onana were a little harsh on the Cameroonian, who denied City repeatedly in the first half.

Where did it go wrong for the visitors? It was always a daunting task with an unsettled back four; Victor Lindelof was deployed to left-back while Johnny Evans partnered Raphael Varane at the heart of the defence. The former Real Madrid man had a game to forget.

Erik Ten Hag did not allude to the fact that his team was battered and that there’s a wide gap to close despite United facing 27 shots from the champions. The Dutchman has been vocal about how unlucky he thinks his team is, and that leaves many bewildered at his delusion.

"No, I don't think so, absolutely not," the United manager said.

"You can see we have many problems with injuries, and still we had an opportunity. Really small margins, and we could have scored the second goal in a debatable moment.

"It's not that big [a gap], and when we have everyone on board, we can be competitive. I think we also showed up in the cup final against them when it was really close, but City is, at this moment, the best team in the world. Don't forget this. We were really close to winning, or at least get a point here."