Manchester United were beaten, battered and bruised by Manchester City on Sunday.Although Pep Guardiola's men will have smelt blood from the first whistle at the Etihad Stadium, United's impressive record at the home of their rivals meant that the possibility of an upset couldn't be ruled out.Well, it couldn't be ruled out for five minutes at least, because that was all the time that it took for the Citizens to set the wheels in motion for a Premier League double over the Old Trafford club.

Man City outclass Man Utd

Kevin De Bruyne got the party started with an early strike and although Jadon Sancho managed to level the scores with a classy goal of his own, City's star midfielder found the net once again before half-time.

Truth be told, it was the sophomore strike from the champions that really took the wind out of United's sails because there was no coming back in the second 45 minutes as Guardiola's men tightened the screw.

Riyad Mahrez channelled his inner Arjen Robben with an emphatic volley from the edge of the penalty area, before hammering home the final nail in United's coffin with a second strike in stoppage time.

But regardless of how many times David de Gea was picking the ball out of his net, the simple fact of the matter is that City got the better of United in just about every match-up across every square-inch of the pitch.

Man City 4-1 Man Utd Match Reaction (Football Terrace)

Foden wiping out Wan-Bissaka

That was especially true on United's right-hand side as the hosts seemingly targeted Aaron Wan-Bissaka for great swathes of the game with Phil Foden proving his tormentor in chief.

In fact, the battle between the English pair was perhaps best summarised by a damning moment early in the second-half when Foden outmuscled the United full-back in dramatic circumstances.

A 21-year-old standing at around five feet and seven inches isn't exactly your typical configuration for an all-conquering, all-powerful physical unit in football, but try telling that to Wan-Bissaka right now.

Besides, the United man has a first-hand account of being absolutely walloped by Foden in a shoulder-barge that he won't be forgetting any time soon and that you can check out down below:

Crash. Bang. Wallop.

Fan reaction

Fans reacted on Twitter after Man Utd's Wan-Bissaka being wiped out.

Fans were shocked to see Man City's Fooden outmuscle Wan-Bissaka.

Man City's Foden got the better of Man Utd's Wan-Bissaka all game.

Crossroads for Wan-Bissaka

While the right imbalance of momentum can see anybody floor anyone in football, there was something particularly amusing about Wan-Bissaka's tumble in that he literally went rolling out of shot.

Whatever secret strength and brawn that Foden is packing into his shoulders, the evidence suggests that it's not to be messed with because Wan-Bissaka looked as though he'd been turned into a FIFA glitch.

And truth be told, it was an embarrassing incident that was damningly illustrative not only of the 24-year-old's performance at the Etihad Stadium, but also of his recent United form in general.

MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - MARCH 06: Bernardo Silva of Manchester City controls the ball whilst under pressure from Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Victor Lindeloef of Manchester United during the Premier League match between Manchester City and Manchester United at Etihad Stadium on March 06, 2022 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images)

With calls of an increasing volume for Diogo Dalot to be the club's first choice and for a right-back to be targeted in the summer transfer window, Wan-Bissaka faces a crossroads in his time at the 'Theatre of Dreams'.

For now, though, he can only lick the wounds of another disappointing day at the office for United.