Incoming Manchester United boss, Ruben Amorim masterminded a heavy defeat on Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City in the Champions League on Tuesday night.
The encounter in Portugal ended 4:1 in favour of Sporting CP.
Sporting came from behind as City had a goal in the 4th minute through an effort by Phil Foden. But Gyokeres equalised before halftime and Maximiliano Araujo bagged Sporting’s second after the break before Gyokeres’s penalty capped their incredible fightback with two penalties.
Erling Haaland squandered a chance to give City a second half lifeline when his penalty hit the bar.
Amorim said United fans might think “the new Alex Ferguson has arrived” if his team beat City.
After the turbulent end to Ten Hag’s reign – he was sacked in October with United languishing in the bottom half of the table – Amorim clearly faces a huge task to restore the club to the glory they enjoyed in the Ferguson era.
Comparisons with United’s legendary former boss should be shelved for now, but Sporting’s spirited victory will have fans counting down the days until his arrival.
Amorim is expected to take charge of his first march at Old Trafford on November 24.
Pep Guardiola will get his chance for revenge in Amorim’s first Manchester derby at the Etihad Stadium on 15 December.
But Guardiola has plenty to work on before then as he looks for solutions to City’s unexpected three-game losing streak.
Premier League champions City suffered a first top-flight defeat of the season against Bournemouth on Saturday, three days after losing to Tottenham in the League Cup.
Amid the absences of Rodri, Jack Grealish, Ruben Dias, John Stones and Oscar Bobb, City have lost their momentum in dramatic fashion.
Their first defeat in four games in this season’s Champions League shouldn’t be fatal to their European ambitions, but Guardiola will be desperate for a positive reaction at Brighton on Saturday.