Hello and welcome to Sports Mole's live text coverage of the Premier League meeting between Manchester United and Manchester City at Old Trafford. The unbeaten Citizens sit eight points better off than their second-placed neighbours after a record-equalling run of 13-successive victories in the top flight, but this is their toughest test yet at what is now a real fortress of a ground.

This final match of the Premier League weekend really is a belter, and has justifiably been labelled the biggest match of the top-flight season thus far. Victory for Man City this afternoon will see them move 11 points clear of the chasing pack; defeat and we might just have a title race on our hands. The onus is on the home side to pick up the points, knowing that a win really will make things interesting at the top.

MANCHESTER UNITED TEAM NEWS!

STARTING XI: De Gea; Valencia, Smalling, Rojo, Young; Herrera, Matic; Rashford, Lingard, Martial; Lukaku

SUBS: Romero; Lindelof, Jones, Mata, McTominay, Shaw, Ibrahimovic

Starting with a look at the home team, Mourinho has made two changes on the back of last weekend's impressive 3-1 win over Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium. One of those alterations has been forced on the Portuguese, having lost key midfield man Paul Pogba to a red card picked up in that most recent league outing, so Ander Herrera is handed a starting role this afternoon - one that will likely see him man mark either Kevin De Bruyne or David Silva.

The other change made by Mourinho is a little more interesting, as attacker Marcus Rashford comes in for defender Victor Lindelof. United will therefore go with a back four for this massive showdown against the league leaders, comprised of Ashley Young, Marcos Rojo, Chris Smalling and Antonio Valencia. Phil Jones has returned to fitness this week but is only among the subs, while Eric Bailly remains absent until the New Year.

Jesse Lingard performed a key counter-attacking role for the Red Devils in North London last weekend, so it comes as little surprise to see the Englishman - who has three goals in his last two league games; as many as he had managed in his previous 51 combined - retain his place in a three-man attacking midfield. Despite having Zlatan Ibrahimovic back involved, Mourinho opts for Romelu Lukaku as his lone striker once again, with Anthony Martial and Rashford providing support from wide.

MANCHESTER CITY TEAM NEWS!

STARTING XI: Ederson; Walker, Kompany, Otamendi, Delph; Fernandinho, De Bruyne, D.Silva; Sterling, Gabriel Jesus, Sane

SUBS: Bravo, Mangala, Danilo, Gundogan, B.Silva, Zinchenko, Aguero

The headline news as far as City's team selection is concerned is that Vincent Kompany has been passed fit to start in defence, while Gabriel Jesus has been given the nod over Sergio Aguero in attack. Kompany pulled out of the squad to face Shakhtar Donetsk in midweek and was touch-and-go for this one, but he is clearly fit enough to start alongside Nicolas Otamendi in a backline that also includes Kyle Walker and Fabian Delph.

City boss Pep Guardiola has made seven changes in all from the 2-1 defeat to Shakhtar in midweek or, if you'd prefer, three from the 2-1 win over West Ham United last time out in the Premier League. The return of Kompany in the backline is a major boost for the Catalan coach, while selecting Gabriel Jesus over Aguero is a huge call to make. It is worth pointing out before a ball is kicked that Aguero has scored in each of his last nine away league starts.

Mourinho is without midfielder Marouane Fellaini, who was always a major fitness doubt following a spell on the sidelines, but opposite number Guardiola can call upon David Silva in the middle of the park. The Spaniard, who was absent in midweek with a muscular injury, has claimed eight top-flight assists so far this season - a joint-high in the division, alongside midfield teammate De Bruyne. Stop them and United have a very good chance of coming out on top today.

Jose Mourinho has perhaps surprised a few by naming what is a very attack-minded XI this afternoon, spearheaded by top scorer Romelu Lukaku. The Belgian may have seen the goals dry up in recent weeks, but he has still netted five in 12 meetings with Man City, including in both of last term's fixtures while at Everton. Sergio Aguero, by comparison, has eight in 11 against today's opponents.

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A big afternoon ahead for both sides, then, as United aim to close the gap on the league leaders to five points. This is the first time since April 2013 that the Manchester rivals face off while occupying the top two spots in the Premier League, setting up what should be a mouthwatering contest. The visitors will likely welcome a point if offered to them now, even if that would prevent them from setting a new record for successive wins.

Had it not been for this spectacular run of form for City, Mourinho would be lauded for his side's results in the first half of the campaign, having collected 11 points more than at the same stage 12 months ago. With the 35 points they have now, the Red Devils also would have been second in the division after 15 games in 2016-17, though the difference is Chelsea were only two points better off.

The problem for Mourinho, of course, is that City have also massively improved - helped by some serious financial backing in the summer that allowed Guardiola to completely overhaul his full-back department, 12 months later than planned. Should the Citizens go 11 clear come 7pm this evening then you really would have to put an end to the title race; barring an almighty collapse the chasing pack will merely be battling it out for second place.

United have dropped points in four of their opening 15 matches, including a respectable 1-1 draw away to Liverpool that saw Mourinho's preferred style of play again called into question. Their most recent defeat, coming away to Chelsea on November 5, also provided further ammunition for Mourinho's detractors to attack him with. There is no doubt that something had to change in these big fixtures, though a corner appears to have been turned thanks to last weekend's win at Arsenal.

Arsenal's incredibly slow start may have played a big part in the gameplan, but United did what was required to finally pick off a top-six rival away from home under Mourinho. That win in North London also kept their positive momentum going, which has seen them win four in a row since going down to Chelsea at Stamford Bridge a little over a month ago. In fact, this is their best run of league form since the turn of the year.

The Red Devils have scored 12 goals during this four-match winning run and, after this toughest of tests, they have a nice set of fixtures to come over the festive and New Year period. United's next eight games are all what you would describe as 'winnable', with the visit of Burnley in a couple of weeks' time arguably their toughest fixture on paper. Of course, putting the points on the board is an entirely different matter - one game at a time, and all that!

Mourinho's men have also progressed through their Champions League group as winners, which they will hope gives them a favourable last-16 draw when tomorrow's draw is made. EFL Cup progression has also been secured, with Championship side Bristol City providing their opponents in the quarter-finals later this month, and the FA Cup draw was also kind as Derby County are to visit Old Trafford in early January.

Plenty of reasons for United fans to be cheerful, then, in what is shaping up to be another campaign of success. That said, the Premier League title is the one Mourinho truly wants, and the Portuguese knows that he can surely kiss goodbye to that for another season if his side fail to defeat their arch rivals over the next couple of hours. The good news for United is that they have gone 40 matches without tasting a defeat on home soil.

This 40-match streak started following defeat to Manchester City early in Mourinho's reign - more on that a little later - and it is their best-such run at Old Trafford since March 1966 when Sir Matt Busby was at the helm. That is one of the positive stats heading into this match, though one that United fans may want to avoid looking into in too much detail is Mourinho's past record against Guardiola: just four wins from 19 encounters, only one of which has come in the league.

DID YOU KNOW? Manchester United boast the best defensive record in the Premier League, conceding nine goals in their opening 15 matches - just one of those here at Old Trafford. Manchester City are second in that regard, shipping one goal more, but they have scored far more times than their rivals at the other end of the field so far - 46 to 35.

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City are very much in the driving seat as far as the title race goes, then, remaining unbeaten after 15 games and winning the last 13 of those. The Citizens have drawn level with Arsenal's record from 2001-02 and Chelsea's from last season in terms of successive wins in a single campaign, and they now require three points at Old Trafford to match the Gunners' run of 14 wins, which spanned across two seasons in 2001.

Guardiola's side did suffer their first defeat of the season last time out, though, with their 29-match run stretching to last April coming to an end at the hands of Shakhtar Donetsk. The Catalan coach was not exactly worried on the back of that result, though, with seven changes made to his starting lineup between then and now, but it remains to be seen whether it has halted the momentum that had been growing and growing in recent months.

At their current run, City are well on course to setting a new Premier League record for points accrued, goals scored and games won, with Everton the only side to so far stop them from picking up maximum points - that way back on matchday two. Only a defeat today would be enough to derail their campaign, so to speak, as a draw will keep United out of reach heading into the hectic festive and New Year period.

A psychological blow can be struck by United today, though, with City potentially suffering back-to-back defeats in all competitions, with a game away to a potentially revived Swansea and then the visit of Tottenham to come in their next two outings. This really is the Red Devils' best hope of hauling back their noisy neighbours, who for so long now have looked like a title-winning machine in Guardiola's second campaign at the helm.

The worry for United is that City's current run is as close as it gets to a blip for them. Late goals were required to see off Huddersfield Town, Southampton and West Ham United in their last three league outings, each finishing in a 2-1 win, while late-goal specialist Raheem Sterling also popped up in the dying seconds against Feyenoord in the Champions League during that run. Forget Fergie Time - this is Pep Time!

PREVIOUS MEETINGS! Manchester United have lost seven of their last 12 meetings with Manchester City in the league - as many as in the previous 45 encounters - including in this corresponding fixture last season. That 2-1 loss, which perhaps should have been by a bigger margin on the basis of the Citizens' dominant first-half showing, is Jose Mourinho's only home defeat in 42 Old Trafford matches in all competitions.

City have netted a Premier League-high 27 away goals at Old Trafford and, with Sergio Aguero not even able to make it into the starting lineup, you would back them to add to that tally at some stage this afternoon. The big tactical talking point is whether Mourinho will task Herrera and Matic with man marking De Bruyne and Silva, which does tend to be his go-to system. Stopping the opposition is always the priority.

With kickoff at the Theatre of Dreams now less than five minutes away, let us check out some pre-match thoughts from both camps.

Jose Mourinho: "I don't need to know that a derby is something special for the people. For us, in the end, it's three points but honestly, I think for the people born in the city and feeling the colours, it's a good positive rivalry and a special match."

Pep Guardiola: "Going to Old Trafford is a pleasure. That's why we are here. I will enjoy it, definitely. I am looking forward to arriving and playing. I love to be there, working out what we can do to beat them. After [me and Mourinho] will shake hands."

Mourinho knows exactly what this match means to United supporters, particularly on this occasion as the city rivals occupy the top-two spots for the first time since April 2013 heading into their showdown. Guardiola says that this short trip is "a pleasure", meanwhile, though interestingly he claimed earlier this week that he was never offered the United job by Sir Alex Ferguson, despite being courted by the Scotsman.

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KICKOFF! We are up and running at Old Trafford in arguably the biggest game of the Premier League season thus far. Liverpool, Chelsea and Arsenal have all dropped points this weekend - it is now down to Manchester United to keep the title race alive by inflicting a first defeat on Manchester City.

Superb atmosphere being generated by both sets of supporters, with the magnitude of this fixture clear to see - or hear, as it is! Lingard, just to confirm, is the man closest to Lukaku in the United attack; Rashford and Martial out wide.

Man City the side playing the nicer football in the early stages. Nemanja Matic decided to go long a few moments ago, putting the visitors' backline under a little pressure, which may be a ploy we see a fair bit of this afternoon.

YELLOW CARD! Kyle Walker is shown the game's first yellow card early on, making him an instant target for the United's wide players. Herrera is indeed man-making Silva, with the City midfielder currently drifting into wide positions.

Gabriel Jesus is picked out in a good position inside the opposition box, but his flick did not find a teammate. City with an incredible 81% of the ball in the opening nine minutes of the match, as we await the first shot at either end.

United very much playing like the away side at the moment, which is not all that surprising based on Mourinho's tactical setup against the division's elite sides. The ball falls loose on the edge of the box for Fernandinho to hit it into a sea of bodies.

Walker is unhappy as Matic avoids being cautioned for a challenge that halted his run down the flank. Looked a clear yellow, particularly after Michael Oliver cautioned the English full-back in the opening stages of the match.

SAVE! Technically a first save of the match, but De Gea did not really have to move to keep this one out. Sane's corner was deflected at the front post and stopped by the Spaniard. Sterling then linked up with Jesus and got a shot away that De Gea was again equal to.

CHANCE! City starting to turn possession into chances now. So much space for Fernandinho to operate in, with Matic and Herrera focusing on De Bruyne and Silva. Jesus glides through and sends Rojo to the floor, but his shot was right at De Gea.

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United with 21% of the ball in the opening quarter of the match and yet to register an attempt of any sort. The Red Devils did have a chance to counter a few moments ago, with Rashford's cross being easily collected by Ederson in the City goal.

The pattern of the game clear to see right from the off; United happy to get every player back behind the ball and hit their opponents on the counter when they can. City, though, have already had a couple of decent openings to score.

SHOT! Silva's deflected shot from an angle is gathered by De Gea at his near post - a third on-target attempt in the last eight minutes or so. Jesus appealed for a penalty after being challenged by Herrera, which Michael Oliver waved away.

Kompany with a big challenge on Herrera, but he did get a slight touch to the ball so avoided a caution. Having seen a replay of the Jesus penalty incident, the referee got it right - Smalling barely touched the Brazilian forward.

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Fernandinho goes for goal, sending his shot high into the Stretford End. Difficult to see how Mourinho's approach is going to pay off at the moment, with his players dropping far too deep and City creating plenty of shooting opportunities.

The Citizens continue to dominate this Manchester derby. All well and good for United at the moment, with the scoreline still goalless, but they need a goal more than their opponents and at the moment and are at serious risk of conceding.

United's best moment of the match so far, which says a lot about their attacking play. A ball over the top gives Walker something to think about up against Lingard, but he won that personal battle by passing back to his goalkeeper.

That space in midfield is enough for Otamendi's eyes to light up, as the centre-back brings the ball forward and makes a bit of a mess of his shot. Guardiola's men knocking on the door for a breakthrough goal on enemy territory.

YELLOW CARD! Sterling exchanges passes with Silva inside the box but is unable to get a shot away. The referee just bringing things under control at the moment as this match is threatening to boil over following a serious of small challenges. Rojo cautioned.

Rojo has been down receiving treatment for the last couple of minutes. The defender appears to have suffered a cut to his face, so Mourinho has sent Victor Lindelof out to warm-up. The Red Devils may be forced into a first-half change here.

A change of shirt and cleaned up a little, Rojo is now back on the field. Play resumes and, all of 10 seconds later, Jesus clips the heels of Martial to halt play once again. City's momentum has been completely killed off over the last five minutes.

Silva slips the ball through for Sterling but, before the winger could settle himself, Young put out a leg to prod the ball away. Good defending to end City's latest attack, with the Citizens once again starting to build some momentum.

"Attack, attack, attack!" is the cry from the home fans. City have seen 80% of the ball in the opening 43 minutes of the game and created the best chances, but it looks as though we will go into the half-time interval all square at 0-0.

City have a deserved lead right on the brink of half time. De Gea initially produced a stunning save to help Sane's drive over the crossbar after the German attacker peeled away at the back post. From the corner, United struggled badly and Silva swept home the loose ball from close range.

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SAVE! United finally commit some players forward, but City defend the cross and attack in numbers. De Bruyne wasted the chance to hurt the hosts, though, and then United countered the counter, with Martial's shot kept out by Ederson routinely enough.

Just about the most undeserved goal you will see all season, yet all of a sudden City are pegged back! A cross into the box was missed by Otamendi and then Delph, allowing Rashford to blast past Ederson when left one-on-one - nice finish.

And breathe! An entertaining first half at Old Trafford comes to a close, with the sides level at one goal apiece. Manchester City have been by far the better team, dominating possession and finally making it count late in the half, but credit to Manchester United for taking their only real opening of the contest through Rashford.

Jose Mourinho brought in Marcus Rashford for Victor Lindelof and deployed a four-man backline, while Ander Herrera was tasked with filling in for the suspended Paul Pogba. The Portuguese, as predicted by many pre-match, asked his two deep midfielders to man-mark City's creative duo Kevin De Bruyne and David Silva, who boast 16 league assists between them this term.

The tactics deployed by Mourinho did not work all that well for 45 minutes or so, however, as City's free players were given acres of space to operate in and they slowly turned possession - 75% of it in the first half - into presentable opportunities. Gabriel Jesus, preferred to the benched Sergio Aguero, tested David de Gea down low 15 minutes in and did likewise soon after once gliding past Marcos Rojo.

There was also half a chance for David Silva, whose angled shot deflected into the hands of his compatriot, but the Citizens finally had something to show for their dominance shortly before the break. After De Gea brilliantly tipped Leroy Sane's bullet shot over the crossbar, United fell asleep at the corner and Silva was there to sweep the ball home from close range.

United had failed to muster a single shooting chance up until that point, though they responded well to the setback as Anthony Martial got an effort in and Marcus Rashford then converted from his side's first big chance. A cross into the box was missed by both Nicolas Otamendi and Fabian Delph, allowing Rashford to slot home an equaliser against the run of play in first-half stoppage time.

MANCHESTER UNITED SUBS: Romero; Lindelof, Jones, Mata, McTominay, Shaw, Ibrahimovic

MANCHESTER CITY SUBS: Bravo, Mangala, Danilo, Gundogan, B.Silva, Zinchenko, Aguero

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RESTART! We are back under way at Old Trafford, where both sides have made a half-time change. Vincent Kompany has been replaced by Ilkay Gundogan, with Fernandinho slotting into the backline, while Victor Lindelof is on for Marcos Rojo.

City the side looking the more lively early in the second half. Both those half-time changes were likely enforced, incidentally, with Rojo suffering a facial injury in the opening 45 minutes and Kompany a big doubt ahead of the match.

The visitors probe away on the edge of the opposition box but the ball is sloppily given away, only for United's counter to break down early on. The Red Devils need to show far more attacking intent in the remaining 40 minutes of this match.

Lingard beats his man, but he is unable to get a cross into the box where two teammates were waiting. Bar that one moment right at the end of the first half, we have already seen more from United this half in an attacking sense.

Rashford crosses the ball into the middle, where Otamendi was waiting to clear it away. Up the other end, Lindelof showed good strength to usher his opponents off the ball, as both teams go in search of the game's third goal.

Rashford crosses the ball into the middle, where Otamendi was waiting to clear it away. Up the other end, Lindelof showed good strength to usher his opponents off the ball, as both teams go in search of the game's third goal.

City retake the lead at Old Trafford through an almost identical goal to their first! Lukaku with an horrific clearance from the set piece, booting it straight into a teammate and giving Otamendi the perfect chance to make it two goals in two league games from close range.

Incredibly, that is now a couple of assists for Lukaku - at the wrong end of the field! The Belgian was also most at fault for Silva's opening goal, which came in almost identical circumstances. United have half an hour to respond here.

MANCHESTER CITY SUB! Guardiola makes a second change of the afternoon, bringing on Mangala for Jesus, who has still yet to lose a Premier League match. Silva appears to have been put upfront, with Fernandinho back in midfield.

More than an hour now played at Old Trafford in this gripping Premier League tie. It has been a far more evenly-balanced second half on the whole, with league leaders City converting from the only real chance since the restart.

YELLOW CARD! The third caution of the afternoon is awarded to Rashford for dissent towards referee Michael Oliver. Some nice football from the visitors culminates in the ball being played across goal for Young to clear away.

Guardiola must be tempted to throw on Aguero soon, even if his side do have a one-goal lead to protect. The visitors are enjoying some good openings on the counter, the latest of which Aguero would have pounced on from that cross across the face of goal.

SHOT! Lukaku is desperate for a goal to make amends for his two earlier errors at the other end of the field. The Belgian with a rare chance to get a shot away, but his attempt from 22 yards ended high in the Stretford End.

Real end-to-end stuff at the moment, albeit with the attempts on goal few and far between. That may change, as Sterling has just given a free kick away 25 yards from goal in a good shooting position - Rashford the most likely to take it on.

SAVE! Rashford does indeed take on the free kick, despite Young being stood alongside him, and could only send the ball into the stanchion behind the goal. Up the other end City go, with De Bruyne's drive pushed aside by a full-stretch De Gea.

United definitely having more joy on the counter now compared to the opening 45 minutes or so, with City unwilling to just sit back and see out the win. Martial is left one-on-one with Otamendi, but he could not get a shot on target.

YELLOW CARD! Silva is cautioned for, presumably, his challenge on Herrera. De Bruyne goes down with a facial injury to the frustration of the home fans, who know that time is now fast ticking towards the 90-minute mark.

A whole host of niggling challenges now to help break up play. Zlatan Ibrahimovic has just been sent to warm-up for one final time, with Mourinho surely about to throw the Swedish striker onto the field alongside Lukaku in attack.

SAVE! Another Fabian Delph error, again letting the ball sneak through for Marcus Rashford who is this time thwarted by Ederson. Zlatan Ibrahimovic has been brought on for the final 10 minutes, taking over from Jesse Lingard.

PENALTY APPEAL! Big, big moment in the match as Herrera is cautioned for a dive inside the box. Minimal contact, but that was probably one of those where a yellow card was not deserved. Michael Oliver working overtime at the minute!

MANCHESTER UNITED SUB! That was Herrera's last involvement in the match - and replays show that the yellow card probably was warranted - as Mata is turned to for the closing stages. All three changes now made by home boss Mourinho.

SAVES! Unbelievable double stop from Ederson! The Brazilian kept out Lukaku from six yards, with the Belgian having to do much better, before quickly getting up to deny Mata from even closer range. City holding on now.

Ederson taking as long as possible over each and every goal kick now, with just a couple of minutes - plus around four added on - left to play. Very tense conclusion to the entertaining contest, as just the one goal separates the sides.

MANCHESTER CITY SUB! Aguero is left frustrated, as Bernardo Silva is instead turned to for these closing moments. Leroy Sane, who has had a good game, is the man to make way. Four minutes have been added on here at Old Trafford.

Two of the four added-on minutes have now been played, with the ball deep in United's half. The hosts unable to win the ball back and spring one last attacking move, with Otamendi's volley looking like being the match-winning moment.

Manchester City move 11 points clear at the top of the table thanks to a 2-1 victory over Manchester United at Old Trafford. Nicolas Otamendi scored the only goal of the second half to end the Red Devils' 40-match unbeaten run on home soil, while also making it a record-equalling 14 Premier League victories in a row for the Citizens.

That concludes Sports Mole's live text coverage of events from the Theatre of Dreams. An on-the-whistle report can be found by clicking here, while reaction aplenty from this final Premier League match of the weekend will be available elsewhere on the site in the next 20 minutes or so. Thanks for joining!