What has gone wrong for Moyes in the Derby?

The importance of derby would not have been undermined by David Moyes, having battled in Merseyside Derby during his reign at Everton, but is he ready yet to live up to the expectation at the Theatre of Dreams? Moyes did not give his supporters much confidence, leaving Etihad Stadium with an embarrassing 1-4 loss, which only reminds the fans the humiliating 1-6 defeat at home to City two years ago.

Two errors two goals

In tight contest at this level, one cannot afford even just one minor error. Manchester United made two merely in the first half and City made the most out of them.

Aleksandar Kolarov freed himself following a overlap run to support Samir Nasri, although Antonio Valencia could have clearly done better to track the Serbian's run. Sergio Aguero brilliantly guided Kolarov's cross to give City the lead. Then it was new arrival Marouane Fellaini letting go of his marking target during the corner and allow an easy tap-in for Yaya Toure.

Diminishing squad depth

Retirement of Paul Scholes was United's major loss this offseason. While they have made it up by acquiring Fellaini, The Red Devils have yet to demonstrate the strength of their bench this season. David Moyes has been relying on a core group of first-team players and has rotated the squad much less frequently than Sir Alex Ferguson.

Yet to see the upside of it, United suffered thoroughly against City. They lost Van Persie due to injury, once again prompted the doubts if he has been overloaded in training. Moyes then opted to rush Danny Welbeck back to the starting lineup following his knee injury, as Chicharito obviously is well short of match sharpness. Veterans like Rio Ferdinand and Michael Carrick had to play their third match in a week time. Both have seemed to struggle to catch up with City's pace and strength in the first half.

Kagawa (left) and Chicharito: itching to play

When Moyes was desperate for changes, Andersen, Shinji Kagawa and Nani are no longer the X-factor off the bench. Kagawa's performance has been disappointing so far, but Nani and Andersen have not been granted many opportunities by Moyes, so as Chicharito. Moyes may have to rethink about his selection policy. Otherwise, United will suffer further should injuries problem hit them amidst congested fixtures.

Missing fluidity in formation

Manchester United's attack has always been relying heavily on the flanks. However, the traditional 4-4-2 formation is no longer effective in modern football, which dominance in midfield is becoming increasingly important.

United fans would have expressed that playing only Fellaini and Carrick against Man City's midfield led by Yaya Toure was close to suicidal, when Sir Alex would have usually fielded at least three central midfielders. Also starting Ashley Young and Antonio Valencia, two typical wingers, United looked very thin in central midfield, even with Rooney helping out occasionally.

City took full control of possession and never looked back, until Moyes introduced Tom Cleverley for Ashley Young and reverted back to 4-3-3, when United was able to see more of the ball and Fellaini was pushed further up to apply more physical pressure on Kompany and Nastasic.

There are still advantages in playing 4-4-2, especially with the quality of wingers United has, but Moyes has to be extra careful in choosing the right tactics and approach in the right occasion.

United needs the passionate Wayne

Any positives?

The Red Devils' supporters will be glad to welcome back Rooney's passion. Bothered by the transfer rumours around himself, Rooney was still able to be productive with his match jersey on, but looked rather "soft", as described by David Moyes. Undoubtedly a player rising in big occasion, Rooney appeared to have regained the fire in the derby.

Losing a derby in September is not quite the end of the world. Instead, it is the time for both players and staff to reflect what has gone wrong to leave them five points away from the top of the table. With 3 of the next 4 games playing at home, and the remaining one against the struggling Sunderland, the platform is set up for Moyes and his players to recover from the defeat. Although Pellegrini's side appears to be the stronger of the two at the moment, it is far from the time to concede the league title. After all, it is a game of marathon.