Good evening and welcome to Sports Mole's live text coverage of the Premier League clash between Manchester City and Manchester United from the Etihad Stadium. City have once again fallen 14 points behind division leaders Liverpool, surely a defeat here would be curtains in terms of their title chances? Stay tuned for the latest instalment of the Manchester derby!

TEAMS!

MAN CITY: Ederson; Walker, Stones, Fernandinho, Angelino; Rodri, D Silva, De Bruyne; Bernardo, Jesus, Sterling

MAN UNITED: De Gea; Wan-Bissaka, Lindelof, Maguire, Shaw; McTominay, Fred; James, Lingard, Rashford; Martial

City boss Pep Guardiola has made just the one change to the side that started against Burnley during the week, with John Stones coming in for Nicolas Otamendi at the back. Sergio Aguero's absence means that Gabriel Jesus once again starts through the middle, while Kevin De Bruyne and David Silva line up alongside Rodi in central midfield, meaning that Ilkay Gundogan remains on the bench.

As for United, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has made two changes to the side that started the 2-1 win over Tottenham Hotspur on Wednesday night. In come Anthony Martial and Luke Shaw, with Ashley Young and Mason Greenwood dropping to the bench. Jesse Lingard keeps his spot in the number 10 position, while Fred again lines up alongside Scott McTominay in central midfield.

City have once again fallen 14 points behind division leaders Liverpool, who continued their stunning start to the season with a 3-0 victory at Bournemouth earlier this afternoon. United, meanwhile, have dropped to eighth in the table, but a win for the Red Devils would see them move into fifth position, just five points behind fourth-placed Chelsea. Kickoff at the Etihad Stadium is next!

KICKOFF:  United kick things off at the Etihad Stadium...

... City's high press sees them regain the ball in a dangerous position, and Maguire has to deal with a dangerous Sterling cross into the United box. Early pressure from the hosts here.

CHANCE!  Big chance for United to take the lead inside the first two minutes as the ball is worked to James inside the City box, but the Wales international cannot fire past Ederson!

The response from City since conceding that early chance to James has been positive, with Sterling threatening in a wide area. De Bruyne also had the chance to break into the penalty box, only for McTominay to make a smart block. High-tempo start here.

Jesus breaks into a wide position before delivering towards the far post, but Maguire does well to make the clearance. Strong pressure from the home side at the moment.

United go clear on the break and Martial threatens to break through, only for Walker to show his incredible pace on the recovery. Very, very open start to this match.

CHANCE!  David Silva sees a goal-bound strike blocked by Shaw after a low cross was fed into the United box. City are causing all sorts of issues in the wide areas here.

SAVE!  Ederson keeps out a low strike from Lingard as United threaten again!

City continue to use the ball impressively, but United will have been encouraged by their start to this match having already had a couple of excellent chances to score.

Angelino makes a darting run into the United box and the space is there for Sterling to find him, but the ball is just too strong. Lingard then carries it clear for the visitors.

Another half-chance for the home side as a dangerous cross comes into the United box, but Lindelof does really well to throw himself at the ball after Jesus had made contact.

It must be said that the opening 17 minutes of this match have absolutely flown past. It would be quite staggering if there were not a few goals based on the start to his one!

SAVE!  Another save from Ederson to keep out a strike from Martial after James had found the Frenchman in a dangerous position. James is causing a lot of issues here!

Lindelof does well to win a header inside his own box after De Gea had decided not to come for a corner. Still goalless with 19 minutes on the clock but this is far from dull.

United have only won once away from home in the Premier League since March 10, which is not a record that they would have wanted to bring into this match. Solskjaer's side have started well, though, and will be pleased with their first 21 minutes here.

United want a penalty as Rashford goes down inside the box...

... Bernardo brings Rashford to the ground. VAR have to give it.

PENALTY!  United have a penalty! VAR gives it!

YELLOW CARD!  Bernardo Silva (Man City) is booked for the penalty incident.

GOAL!  MAN CITY 0-1 MAN UNITED (RASHFORD, PEN)

GOAL!  Rashford rolls his penalty into the bottom corner of the net!

VAR was excellent in that instance as it was a clear penalty that the referee had missed. Not that City will see it that way, but the final decision was correct. Right, back to the action and the home side are on the attack as they look to level the scores.

CHANCE!  Huge chance! United should score a second as Rashford is found by Fred inside the City box, but the England international curls just wide of the far post!

OFF THE BAR!  Rashford hits the crossbar with a clever effort as United threaten on the break once again. Incredible effort from the attacker, who is absolutely full of it at the moment.

GOAL!  MAN CITY 0-2 MAN UNITED (MARTIAL)

GOAL!  Oh my word! Incredible! United double their lead at the Etihad Stadium as Martial manages to squeeze one into the bottom corner after more excellent football. City are all over the place at the back, and it is no more than the Red Devils deserve here.

City really, really need to score before the half-time break. That said, United are capable of getting a few more on the break in this match. What a 31 minutes of football.

United have just dropped back a touch in the last couple of minutes with City enjoying the ball. That said, the home side are not really threatening to score. If City lose this game then surely their title hopes are over. The gap would be 14 points on the same number of games.

SAVE!  Comfortable for De Gea to keep out a long-range strike from David Silva.

Walker breaks into a wide position for the home side before delivering a low cross towards a dangerous area, but De Gea is on hand to make the claim.

City are having plenty of the ball at the moment as they pass and move, but United are staying firm in a defensive area. It is still far, far too early to speak about the final result, but a win for Solskjaer's side in this match would take them into fifth position.

CHANCE!  Huge chance for the home side to score as De Bruyne delivers a stunning cross onto the head of Gabriel Jesus, but the Brazil international glances wide of the post!

City have a free kick in a dangerous area as Wan-Bissaka fouls Sterling...

SHOT!  ... De Bruyne's free kick is just too high!

The Etihad Stadium is almost silent at the moment as City attempt to halve the deficit before the half-time break. De Bruyne delivers another dangerous cross into the box, but Maguire is on hand to make the clearance. Still 2-0 to the away side here.

City have another free kick as Lingard fouls De Bruyne...

... David Silva's free kick is very, very comfortable for De Gea.

The half-time whistle will soon arrive, and United will be desperate to get there with a two-goal lead still in tact. City currently have the ball as they continue to pass and probe, although it is difficult to say that De Gea is really being tested at the moment.

We are into the first of two added minutes at the end of the first period.

City want handball off Fred, who blocked a low Walker cross...

... VAR are having a look at a possible handball here.

No penalty!

HALF TIME:  MAN CITY 0-2 MAN UNITED

So there we have it. The referee brings the first period to a close with United leading 2-0 at the Etihad Stadium. Rashford sent the visitors 1-0 ahead from the penalty spot in the 23rd minute, before Martial scored a second in the 29th minute. United have been absolutely sensational in this match and could be out of sight at this stage of the contest.

STATISTICS! City dominated the ball with 65%, while they managed nine attempts, two of which were on target. United had five attempts in the opening 45 minutes and all five were on target. Just the one yellow card to report in the first half, which came for Bernardo Silva after VAR had ruled that the Portugal international had fouled Rashford inside the penalty box.

BENCH WATCH! City have the likes of Foden, Gundogan and Mahrez on their bench tonight, but the fact that Aguero is injured is a big blow for the champions. United, meanwhile, have options in the shape of Greenwood, Mata and Pereira. It will be fascinating to see whether Guardiola decides to make a change at the interval.

KICKOFF:  City resume the action at the Etihad Stadium...

... no changes from either side at the break, which is not too much of a surprise. However, both managers will surely have alterations in mind as the play develops here.

The home side have been on front foot in the early stages of the second period, and Angelino has just fired an attempt over the United crossbar from distance.

David Silva breaks into a dangerous position before looking to feed a cross towards the far post, but the ball has too much weight. Nothing much from United since the interval.

United are just not quite there at the moment in terms of the sharpness of their passing, which was stunning in the first 30 minutes. That said, the visitors have just won a free kick in a dangerous area which Angelino head to deal with. Still 2-0 to United here.

United might well have to score again if they are to be sure of all the points in this match, especially as City always seem to find the back of the net. The home side are very much on top at the moment as the second half just starts to gather some pace.

YELLOW CARD!  De Gea (United) is booked for wasting time from a goal kick.

CHANCE!  Huge block from Lindelof to divert a strike from De Bruyne over the United crossbar. The Belgium international was in, but Lindelof did so well to make the block.

Walker again shows his incredible pace to catch up with a United break, but the City defender then makes a rash challenge to bring Lingard to the ground.

City are going to be forced into a change here as Stones limps off the field.

MAN CITY SUB! Otamendi replaces Stones for the home side.

CHANCE!  Sterling breaks into a shooting position after a mazy run, but Wan-Bissaka just about does enough to block the ball behind as another chance comes and goes here.

SAVE!  Wonderful save from De Gea to keep out a strike from Rodri, who looked to be finding the top corner from outside the box. Huge moment in this football match.

MAN CITY SUB! Mahrez replaces Bernardo Silva for the home side.

Sterling sees a cross deflected towards the far post, and Shaw just about manages to deal with it under pressure from Mahrez. Little under 25 minutes of football remaining here.

SAVE!  Ederson has to keep out a strike from Lingard after United had again broken clear, with James feeding the final pass into his teammate. More chances at the Etihad!

Terrible scenes here as Fred goes to take a corner and has something thrown at him.

Sterling throws himself to the ground inside the United box, but it was a dive from the England international and play continues. Little over 20 minutes to play here.

City are full of it at the moment as they continue to move the ball, creating space, before working their way into the box. United, though, continue to stand firm inside their area.

City have another shout for a penalty as Shaw turns his back on a shot, but no decision is forthcoming. Otamendi then heads wide of the post from the resulting corner kick.

MAN UNITED SUB! Pereira replaces Martial for the away side.

United break clear once again and Rashford manages to find Pereira in a dangerous area, but the Brazilian cannot feed a low cross into the waiting Lingard.

YELLOW CARD!  Pereira (Man United) is booked for a foul on Sterling.

Another strong block from Wan-Bissaka as the Englishman manages to prevent an Angelino strike from troubling De Gea, whose defence have performed well here.

City keep the ball alive inside the penalty box as Maguire fails to clear the area with a header, but United deal with it once again. Little over 10 minutes remaining here.

YELLOW CARD!  De Bruyne (Man City) is booked for a foul on McTominay.

Little under 10 minutes of the second period remaining, and United still lead 2-0 courtesy of the first-half goals from Rashford and Martial. So much can change, though, and Mahrez has just flashed a dangerous cross across the penalty box.

United break clear through Lingard, who feeds Wan-Bissaka. The defender's cross is blocked but Lingard picks it up and the clock continues to tick towards 90 here.

If City are going to get something out of this match then something has to happen very, very soon. Plenty of possession for the home side but not too much else at the moment.

GOAL!  MAN CITY 1-2 MAN UNITED (OTAMENDI)

GOAL!  Otamendi heads a corner into the back of the net and it is game on!

Huge, huge final period coming up here.

SAVE!  Super save from De Gea to keep out a strike from Mahrez!

United manage to settle for the moment, but there is going to be at least three minutes added here. The away side are preparing to make a double change here.

MAN UNITED SUBS! Young and Tuanzebe enter the field for Shaw and Lingard.

Well, we will soon find out how much time is going to be added, but it would be fair to assume that there will be at least four minutes, it could well be five or six, though.

United have a goal kick as a through pass goes out for a goal kick.

We are into the second of five additional minutes at the Etihad Stadium.

Lindelof manages to deal with a low cross from Walker and then James can bring the ball clear for the visitors. Pereira then has one deflected wide of the post.

City have the ball and we have a couple of minutes left here. Surely there is going to be one more big moment as the home side throw everything at a later equaliser here.

YELLOW CARD!  Walker (Man City) is booked for a foul on Young.

Time is almost up for the champions as the clock tick towards full-time.

FULL TIME:  MAN CITY 1-2 MAN UNITED

And breathe! Incredible football match. United hold on to record a 2-1 win away to City, moving into fifth position in the process. The reigning champions, though, are now 14 points behind Liverpool on the same number of matches. Is the title race over?!

That is just about it from me tonight, but I shall leave you with the match report from what was an incredible game of football. Thanks for joining our live coverage once again!