A fully profe sional and efficient performance from Man United enabled them to record a thoroughly deserved victory over a disappointing Man City side in the 151st derby between these sides. In truth, the Blues were distinctly average and although they had long periods of po se sion, there was a notable lack of penetration from their attack. United never needed to perform anywhere near their brilliant best, but first-half goals from Cristiano Ronaldo, via a deflection off Citys Nigel de Jong, and Carlos Tvez decideda decidedly lacklustrecontest.The Reds, courtesy of this win, remain three points ahead of closest challengers Liverpool at the top of the Premier League table, and with a game in hand, due to be played on Wednesday against Wigan, require just four more points to retain the title. The result nowleaves Cityoutsiders to claim seventh place which would entitle them to the Europa League next season, and the Blues now trail Fulham, currently occupying seventh, by three points.Pa sionate City fan and boxer Ricky The Hitman Hatton was at Old Trafford, sitting next to Rio FerdinandTeam NewsBlues bo s Mark Hughes opted to name the same side that had defeated Everton and Blackburn in Citys previous two Premier League matches. Unfortunately for the Citizens, influential midfielder Shaun Wright-Phillips failed to recover in time from his injury, but Argentinean defender Pablo Zabaleta was Jevon Carter Jersey deemed fit enough to be named on the bench. With Craig Bellamy, Benjani Mrawurawi and Danny Sturridge all out injured, along with Valeri Bojinovs lack of match fitne s, Felipe The Battering Ram Caicedo was handed another opportunity up-front on his own.Sir Alex Ferguson made a total of five changes from the side that overcame Arsenal in the Champions League semi-final in midweek, with Wayne Hes Fat, Hes Scouse, Hell Probably Rob Your House Rooney being a notable omi sion. Carlos Tvez, who had spoken out at United earlier in the day for refusingto offer him a new contract, was partnered up-frontby Dimitar Berbatov, while Paul Scholessurprisingly started on the bench.City Line-Up (4-2-3-1) GivenRichards Dunne Onuoha Bridge de JongKompanyElano Ireland Robinho CaicedoSubs: Hart, Zabaleta, BERTI, Fernandes, Petrov, Evans, BojinovMark Hughes applauds the City fans before kick-offReportA cacophony of sound, mainly originating from the City section, reverberated around Old Trafford as both sets of players walked out onto the pitch. The pa sion from the crowd was clear to see, but it seemed that for the players, this was just another match and not the special occasion of a derby. The tempo at the start was soporific, and for those like myself, forced to listen to the monotonous tones of Alan Green on the radio, life was not worth living.Chances were at a premium, but City were more than holding their own whilst in the meantime, dominating po se sion. Best friends Carlos Tvez and Ji-Sung Park both tested Shay Given early on, but it was nothing too serious for the Blues recent acquisition. Brazilian Elano, voted on here as player of the month for April, had Citys first chance, but he shot wide from a decent position.Everyones favourite player to hate, Cristiano Ronaldo, saw his free-kick, awarded by referee Chris Foy for a challenge by Richard Dunne, blocked by the wall, but that effort was merely practice for the Portuguese winger, who proceeded to put the home side ahead in the eighteenth minute. Stephen Ireland was Devin Booker Jersey adjudged to have fouled Berbatov, a decision which Mark Hughes questioned afterwards, and Ronaldos free-kick took a slight deflectionoff Nigel de Jong, thus wrong-footing Given, before creeping in the bottom corner to giveUnited the lead. Jalen Smith Jersey Ireland appears to foul Berbatov which is followed by Ronaldos succe sful attemptThe Premier Leagues most expensive player, Robinho, wasted a glorious chance for the visitors just before the half-hour mark when he dragged his shot wide followng some good build-up by the otherwise non-existent Felipe Caicedo. Carlos Tvez then went up the other end and displayed his undoubted quality, when his 25 yard effort left Given clutching at thin air as the ball slammed against the post.Just as the first period was drawing to a close, United doubled their advantage, thus killing off the game as a contest. A long ball up-field from Scottish midfielder Darren Fletcher, still feeling aggrieved at mi sing out onthe Champions League final, was controlled superbly by Berbatov on the stretch and he laid it backwards towards Tvez. The Argentinean took a couple of touches before making half a yard ahead of Richard Dunne and the striker then proceeded to power home a shot, with the ball coming off the inside of the post. Tvez celebrated by running towards the executive boxes and towards DavidGill in protest at not beingoffered a new contract.Tvez powers home before celebrating with the crowdFeeling comfortable with their two goal advantage, United now took their foot off the accelerator but the Blues were still finding it nigh-on impo sible to break down the rearguard of the league leaders. A fri son of excitementwas delivered with Robinhos shot following Elanos inch-perfect pa s, but the attempted lob drifted harmle sly wide.A spateof substitutions five within just fifteen minutes gave the encounter a stop-start feel, but the atmosphere was lifted by a typical display of petulance by Ronaldo when he was replaced by Wayne There Is No Way That He Should Be A Father Rooney. The Portuguese international, a fierce rival of Tom Daley when it comes to execution of dives, was le s than enamoured with being brought off and he let his manager and the whole world know his feelings as he stormedoffsnatching his jacketin a temper, before leaving the ground only fifteen minutes after the match had finished.City threatened E'Twaun Moore Jersey briefly through Martin Petrovs shot, but Edwin Van Der Sar tipped the curling effort round the post. The last chance of the match fell to star performer Tvez, but he failed to make any contact with Darren Fletchers header which bounced against the post. Referee Chris Foy blew his whistle to bring the contest to a close, and United recorded yet another double over their rivals.Ronaldo is unimpre sed with his manager, whilst for the Blues, Robinho had yet another rubbish matchKey BattlesEdwin Van der Sar v Shay GivenAn interesting battle these two veterans of the game. Given was by far the busier keeper, but was still only forced into making five saves. City only tested Van Der Sar twice, as they lacked the penetration needed against top sides like United. The Irish international nearly saved Ronaldos free-kick for the first goal, but was left helple s for Tvezs strike. Overall, this contest is a Draw.Ryan Giggs v Nigel de JongThe Premier Leagues player of the year was restored to the starting line-up after being omitted against Arsenal and the wily Giggs certainly added experience to the heart of Uniteds midfield. De Jong got stuck into his fair share of tackles, making a couple of thumping challenges of Darren Fletcher, but he was let down by the rest of his teammates. This contest is also a Draw.Carlos Tvez or Dimitar Berbatov v Richard DunneBoth of these United strikers started but the greater contribution was clearly given by the Argentinean who, with his willingne s to run the channels and his non-stop energy, caused the City defence a plethora of problems. Richard Dunne and Nedum Onuoha were arguably Citys two best performers, and they dealt with Berbatov well, but Tvez just seemed to have too much quality for them, so the winner of this key battle is Tvez.Robinho prays to the giant Van Der Sar to let him score, but the keeper ignored himSummaryAs deflating as this defeat is, its not the end of the road for Citys European hopes. With just two games remaining, the Blues have their backs against their walls, but victories in these matches, away toTottenham and at home to Bolton, could see City climb above Fulham in the quest for seventh place. Back to this match, and it was crystal clear to see that the Citizens mi sed SWP and Craig Bellamy, as well as a fit Martin Petrov, as they had no pace on their side. Felipe Caicedo had about as much impact as a stripper in a monastery, but Mark Hughes is already fully aware of the need to sign a new striker. It is this type of match that Robinho should perform in, but yet again, the Brazilian was anonymous. The manager must restore confidence in the squad before the next match, but Blues supporters should not be too disheartened by this result. As much as it pains me to say Grant Hill Jersey it, United are a cla s outfit, and they highlighted the gap which City are aiming to bridge in the near future.