Seems like Rio Ferdinand has a lot to thank Craig Bellamy for after all. The little Welshman‘s “excessive celebration” of his 89th minute equaliser was a contributing factor in the ref’s decision to add on more than the allotted amount of injury time, allowing Michael Owen to win the game and endear himself in the hearts of the Old Trafford fans forever.

Though the champions came into this derby on the back of beating Arsenal and Spurs, this was moneybags City’s chance to not only preserve their unbeaten start to the season, but to show the watching world what they were made of. Here’s a look at some of the key issues that decided the derby…

Giggs and Evra v Richards

From as early as the second minute (when Micah Richards switched off and Patrice Evra played in Wayne Rooney for the opener) to the last minute (where he lost Michael Owen in the box and gave Ryan Giggs the chance to slide the no7 in) Richards was a bit of a defensive liability for Mark Hughes’ side.

This first chalkboard, showing the passing positions of Richards and Wayne Bridge, City’s other full back, illustrate how Bridge was allowed time and space to move forward on the left, but Richards, under constant pressure from Giggs and Evra on the opposite flank, was not allowed any time to attack, with United clearly targeting his defensive abilities as one of City’s major weaknesses.

This next chalkboard shows how Evra continually pushed forward down the left and helped Giggs against Hughes’ beleaguered right back. Ronaldo’s departure has really allowed the Frenchman to bomb forward more and more this season, and at times he’s playing like an extra midfielder. Given the performance of both Giggs and Evra yesterday, it’s no surprise that the pair assisted all four of Man Utd’s goals between them.

Second half pressure

Whether the infamous “hairdryer” treatment played a part, but having luckily gone in at one-all (Tevez’s shot clipping the edge of the post) United came out a different team in the second half. This chalkboard, illustrating City‘s successful tackles, shows that in the first half they pretty much held their own in the middle third, and pressed United’s defence high in an evenly balanced first half. The second half, however, was pretty much all about survival as Fergie’s side pushed them further and further back into their own defensive third.

Darren Fletcher

Another all-action performance from the Scot, culminating in two goals as he once again shone in the middle of the park. Like Evra, he’s benefiting in United’s post-Ronaldo style of play, and as this chalkboard shows, he’s a lot more than just someone who breaks up the other team’s possession. With the impressive Anderson beside him, Fletcher was able to push on forward and made a lot of passes from the centre of the final third, suggesting he may continue to be more of an attacking threat than he has been in previous seasons. At 5.4m in FPL, he’s definitely worth consideration..

Emmanuel Adebayor

His absence was a huge blow for the visitors. This chalkboard illustrates City’s passing patterns in their last two games; Sunday’s without him, and last week’s against Arsenal with him. Their system is clearly set up for a target man to play up front, holding the ball up and bringing others (mainly wide players) into the action, but at the weekend they had to alter their approach, with the majority of their play being more central than normal. It almost paid off, too…

In a sense, Mark Hughes should take heart; in spite of Adebayor, Robinho and Santa Cruz being unavailable, his team put up a fantastic fight, showing a lot of resilience and spirit, and perhaps if it were not for Craig Bellamy’s extended joy at making it 3-3, the Manchester derby would have finished honours even, however undeserved that would have been.