The same new, same new United

Sky Sports attempted to inject a little Hollywood glamour into proceedings at the Etihad yesterday, parading Tom Cruise and Robert Duvall in front of the cameras before kick-off.

Wee Tom, probably wisely, kept his punditry bland but the veteran Duvall appeared anxious to establish his footie credentials, name-checking Pele and Jimmy Johnstone, no less, before rather spoiling the effect by asking if there would be a shoot-out if the game ended in a tie.

Well, there wasn’t, but it came close enough, when Robin van Persie – with help from a lazy leg-up by Samir Nasri – provided the sudden death end to a pulsating game to give Manchester United victory and end Manchester City’s formidable unbeaten home record.