Manchester United look set to give manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer yet another chance, despite another dismantling at the hands of one of their biggest rivals.
Two weeks removed from Liverpool's 5-0 win at Old Trafford, it was Manchester City's turn to cruise to victory at The Theatre of Dreams, barely breaking a sweat during their 2-0 victory.
The defeat once again leaves Solskjaer facing increasing scrutiny regarding his position in the United dugout.
The Norwegian is now three years into his project and admitted that his side were still some way away from the genuine title challengers.
Have Your Say! Should Man Utd sack Ole Gunnar Solskjaer? Let us know in the comments
Solskjaer latest: Man Utd facing 'dressing room revolt' involving Bruno Fernandes
Read More: Cristiano Ronaldo 'alarmed' by what he has seen at Man Utd since return
Defeat to City means United are already nine points behind league leaders Chelsea and when asked if they were well off the pace, he said: “At the moment we are, but we’ve got to get back to what we started to look like. And we started to look like a proper team.”
Despite winning just one of their last six Premier League games, United bosses look set to stick with the status quo and keep Solskjaer as manager.
Match of the Day pundit Danny Murphy pulled no punches when it came to the future of Solskjaer, claiming their rivals see him as their ‘secret weapon'.
"If they want to compete with the big boys now – Man City, Liverpool and Chelsea – they need to change the manager," he said.
"It has got to the stage now, sadly, where opposing fans see Solskjaer as their secret weapon," he said. "They want him to stay more than United supporters.”
Vote: Tell us your views on Solskjaer's future below...
Both Liverpool and Man City fans have taunted the under-fire manager in recent weeks and along with Chelsea, have experience of how transformative a managerial change can truly be.
Here’s how each club reacted to similar malaises and how their decisions could force a change of tact from those in charge at United.
Liverpool
“Ole’s at the wheel” rang out from the away end as Jurgen Klopp’s side coasted their way to a memorable thrashing of their old rivals.
Six years into his stint at Anfield, Klopp has established the Reds as one of the best teams in the world, with injury woes stopping them from three consecutive seasons of unrivalled success.
Klopp ended the long wait for a Premier League title, but his predecessor Brendan Rodgers was a slip away from doing the same.
Rodgers spent three-and-a-half years with Liverpool and in 2013/14 was a result or two away from landing the title.
Like Solskjaer, Rodgers failed to win a trophy in his first three years in charge and just eight games into his fourth season, with Liverpool sitting in tenth.
The Northern Irishman has enjoyed great success in the years since his departure, but they pale in comparison to what Klopp has brought to Liverpool.
Get more Liverpool news from the Mirror right here.
Chelsea
A club legend failing to get a tune out of a richly assembled squad... sound familiar?
Frank Lampard enjoyed an impressive start as Chelsea boss, guiding the Blues to a top-four finish and the FA Cup final, despite the club being placed under a transfer embargo.
But after he was backed with £200million in the summer of 2020, Chelsea failed to kick on and found themselves 11 points off the top after 19 games of his second campaign in charge.
However, while United seem adamant that ‘knowing the club’ is more important than tactical nous, Roman Abramovich displayed his ruthless streak and parted ways with the legendary midfielder.
At the time of his departure, while there was a sense of regret at how it turned out, there was an acceptance that Lampard had taken the club as far as he could.
Thomas Tuchel had been lined up and the decision to switch managers has been instantly vindicated.
Just four months after his appointment, Chelsea were in the top four and more importantly, the champions of Europe.
Tuchel has been in charge at Stamford Bridge for less than 12 months, but unlike Solskjaer’s muddled approach at United, the German’s vision is crystal clear.
Keep up to date with the latest Chelsea stories here.
Manchester City
City bosses have consistently proved that they have no time for sentiment: exactly a year after winning the Premier League title, Roberto Mancini was sacked.
In a ruthless statement, the club said "had failed to achieve any of the club's targets, with the exception of qualification for next season's Champions League".
Three seasons later, Mancini’s successor, Manuel Pellegrini suffered the same fate, despite winning the league once and lifting the EFL Cup twice.
Such is City’s relentless pursuit of success, news of Pep Guardiola’s appointment was confirmed with three months of the 2015/16 season remaining.
Pellegrini left the Etihad after winning 100 of his 167 games. In comparison to what Solskjaer has achieved on the other side of Manchester, Pellegrini’s dismissal was exceptionally harsh.
But unlike the current inertia United bosses seem happy to accept, the ‘noisy neighbours’ are unwilling to put up with anything other than being top dogs.
Follow Man City news with the Mirror here.