Manchester City took a giant stride towards the Premier League title when they collected all three points from Old Trafford on Sunday.

The season may only be four months old yet there was the feeling that Manchester United not only had to win against their nosy neighbours, but convincingly to keep the title race competitive.

It wasn't to be. Pep Guardiola delivered a tactical masterclass to grind out a 2-1 victory with David Silva and Nicolas Otamendi finding the net from set pieces and Romelu Lukaku's defensive incompetence.

The performance wasn't without flaws, though, with Marcus Rashford preventing a City clean sheet before half-time and Ederson having to provide some stunning shot stopping.

United were never able to find the equaliser as Guardiola's men broke the Premier League record for consecutive wins, extended the finest start in the competition's history and brought their lead to 11 points.

However, that's all well and good, but how did Guardiola actually pull it off?

After all, it wasn't a textbook performance from a team managed by the inventor of tiki-taka with City showing a mature quality to nullify Jose Mourinho's approach at every turn.

And while fans will never truly know the exact thinking behind Guardiola's masterplan, a footballing YouTuber has provided the next best thing in a superb tactical analysis of the game.

From the team selection, to the initial City approach and how they evolved to the fixture's twists and turns, it makes for an interesting watch - check it out below:

So, what's it driving at?

The video picks up on Mourinho's use to Rashford and Anthony Martial to prevent City's full-backs from marauding forward, as well as deploying Ander Herrera and Nemanea Matic to man mark Kevin de Bruyne and Silva.

This allowed a solid start for United, until Guardiola reacted. Raheem Sterling started the game on the right wing, yet was moved to the false nine position when his manager noticed the man marking.

The move forced Matic to constantly cover Sterling, while De Bruyne thrived in his newfound space.

Moreover, whenever Matic would decided to mark the Belgian instead, he would be forced out of position and left Sterling with space in front of United's deep lying back four.

Couple that with the genius behind those oh-so crucial set pieces and you have Guardiola outsmarting Mourinho once again. Unfortunately for Jose, it seems there's no coming back this time.

Do you think Manchester United can catch City this season? Have your say in the comments section below.