Man United lost 4-1 to Man City at the Etihad Stadium after an abysmal second-half effort.
At the Etihad, City gave United the runaround.
Manchester United, it turns out, aren't any better without Cristiano Ronaldo; they're still middling.
On this side of town, this was about as humbling an afternoon as you can imagine for United. To give you an idea of how far they've gone, they were praised for a better half-time performance yet still lost 2-1 when it could have been much worse.
It should be humiliating for a club of United's prestige to be regarded with such pity, but the half-time score should have buoyed them at the very least. Instead, at halftime, they trudged out of the tunnel and pretended to be lambs about to be slaughtered.
It didn't feel like a derby match at all. So many in red gave a flat effort, patronized by the fact that they came to the Etihad and gave it their all for the first half.
Ralf Rangnick had talked bluntly about how far United has slipped behind City on Friday. This was the on-pitch counterpart of those verbal home truths: inadequate planning, recruitment, and decision-making.
United will finish second to City in the Premier League for the seventh consecutive season. The average deficit at that time was 20 points, and it's already at 22 this time. Before the end of the season, that number will rise.
There isn't a single person in Manchester who believes it won't be ten next season. It's hard to imagine United had a chance to challenge for the title back in September.
This season has turned into a rescue operation, and it appears like a Champions League miracle will be required to keep United in the competition next season. Finishing fourth in the Premier League currently appears to be a tall order for this team.
Mauricio Pochettino or Erik ten Hag, for example, might have filled an entire notepad with faults that need to be addressed after witnessing this derby.
There was a combined XI from these teams in some pre-match previews that didn't include a single United player, and it didn't feel like the usual derby day taunting. United have world-class players, two of whom were vitally absent at the Etihad, but they are far less than the sum of their parts.
They had a right-back and a left-back who didn't appear good enough in this match, as well as at least one centre-back who was below the required grade. It's no secret that center midfield is a significant issue, and in attack, they have a 37-year-old striker who is starting to show his age, as well as another who appears to have no desire to play for the club.
Rangnick's choice to put Edinson Cavani in charge of his own fitness once again was egregious. He'd been training hard for three days, but he didn't want to play in his final Manchester derby.
For those in the away section, such an attitude is unfathomable, but it's appropriate for a club that has so blatantly lost its way. Imagine a key forward at City and Liverpool both downing their tools to the same amount.
United is tired of being compared to those two teams, but it was Rangnick who set out so clearly how and why they've slipped behind two of their toughest rivals.
The main issue was recruitment, and Aaron Wan-Bissaka, who cost £50 million, and Harry Maguire, who cost £80 million, were undoubtedly United's two worst performers at the Etihad. The point has been established.
The challenge ahead of the next United manager is enormous. They signed Ronaldo to win now after some rebuilding under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, but they look as far away from champions material as they have in the previous nine seasons.
The reconstruction had flaws, and now that fans are back in stadiums, the home is falling apart. In the summer, it will be time to begin again, but as Rangnick hinted on Friday, it could take years for United to reach that level. City has embarrassed them both on and off the field.
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