Manchester City climbed back to the top of the Premier League table after sharing a goalless draw with local rivals Manchester United at Old Trafford.

Louis van Gaal's side almost won it late on when Jesse Lingard was denied by the crossbar, but chances were scarce throughout the encounter.

The draw is the first goalless match between the two clubs since November 2010.

Here, Sports Mole analyses the performances of both teams.

Match statistics

Manchester United
Shots: 6
On target: 1
Possession: 59%
Corners: 6
Fouls: 17

Manchester City
Shots: 6
On target: 1
Possession: 41%
Corners: 4
Fouls: 13

Was the result fair?

Manchester United certainly had the better of the play in the second half, and probably feel that they should have won it in the final 10 minutes, with Lingard hitting the woodwork and Chris Smalling forcing a late save from Joe Hart. The visitors looked the more likely before the break though, and as the shots statistics suggest, neither side really tested the opposition's keeper too often. Overall, goalless feels about right for this afternoon's clash at Old Trafford, with both sides failing to make the most of their opportunities.

Manchester United's performance

Louis van Gaal's side were stuttering going forward in the first half, with Juan Mata and Wayne Rooney struggling to connect, while Anthony Martial lacked support. At the back it was a different story though, with Chris Smalling and Marcos Rojo proving a solid pairing yet again to limit City's chances. The introduction of Marouane Fellaini and Jesse Lingard in the final 20 minutes made United look a much stronger side going forward, with the Belgian in particular causing problems for the visiting side's defenders. Ultimately, the hosts short-comings in the final third cost them given their superior possession this afternoon.

Manchester City's performance

Although they did not see as much of the ball as their opponents, City looked the more clinical going forward in the first half, with Raheem Sterling and Yaya Toure both showing promise, while Kevin de Bruyne provided a series of decent crosses into the box. Like United, City have their defenders to thank for their clean sheet this afternoon, with Vincent Kompany and Nicolas Otamendi both making a string of blocks and clearances to give Hart a quiet afternoon between the posts. Despite Wilfried Bony netting a brace last weekend, the visitors could not get the ball to the Ivorian striker often enough, as he was anonymous for much of his 83-minute performance, while Sterling also tired in the second half. The weary midfield did leave Hart more exposed towards the end of the match, resulting in a couple of late chances for United, but the keeper did enough to secure his 100th Premier League clean sheet.

Sports Mole's man of the match

Nicolas Otamendi: Several of the defenders had excellent games this afternoon, but Otamendi's performance really stood out. As well as making 10 clearances for the visitors, the Argentine intercepted three passes into the box, made three tackles on won the ball in the air twice. He really was a thorn in United's attacking side.

Biggest gaffe

Yaya Toure's wide header in the first half really was a missed opportunity. De Bruyne picked the midfielder out with an excellent ball from the corner, but the Ivory Coast international could not keep his finish on target. Had he been able to squeeze it inside the left upright, it did not look like David de Gea had it covered, so that could have been the winner for City.

Referee performance

As derby matches go, there was not too much for Mark Clattenburg to worry about this afternoon. He dished out a few yellow cards when the tackles started to fly in towards the end of the first half, and there was one semi-claim for penalty when Ander Herrera tangled with Sterling, but he waved the shouts away.

What next?

Manchester United: United have just three days to prepare for a League Cup match against Championship side Middlesbrough at Old Trafford.

Manchester City: Manuel Pellegrini's side will also be in action on Wednesday, when they host Crystal Palace in the League Cup.