Decisions over Stones and Rashford roles will set tone in intriguing derby final

No longer are Manchester City a soft touch at set plays but United have had joy on the break against Pep Guardiola. Jonathan Wilson assesses four key areas

Can United draw hope from their January win?

United’s victory in the last derby turned out to be nowhere near as pivotal as it felt at the time. It was a ninth win in a row for Erik ten Hag’s side and took them to within a point of City; approaching the halfway point of the season, they seemed very much part of the title race. A draw at Crystal Palace and defeat at Arsenal in the two games that followed exposed that as fallacy. But that does not mean the game was not meaningful – even if that significance was probably felt more by City than United.

United’s equaliser was the product of the silly modern interpretation of the offside law, Marcus Rashford deemed not to be interfering despite escorting the ball for several yards before Bruno Fernandes scored. But that goal and Rashford’s subsequent winner, which stemmed from an Alejandro Garnacho dart down the left, exposed flaws in City’s midfield as