The United midfielder bagged a sublime finish to fire hand his side a first-half advantage.

Manchester United's Nemanja Matic successfully earned massive plaudits for his sensational finish in Wednesday's derby clash with City. The 31-year-old Serbian midfielder handed his side a life line by scoring a half-volley in the first half of the second leg.

United entered what was its 181st Manchester derby with a two goal deficit from the first leg's 3-1 defeat and the team news prior to the test at the Etihad hinted at another potential mauling. Indeed, the latter could have been early on had it not been for David de Gea who constantly kept the hosts at bay, pulling off three sensational saves to deny Riyad Mahrez, Sergio Aguero and Raheem Sterling the opportunity to get on the score sheet.

After the Spanish shot-stopper's heroics, it was time for his teammates to step up and the Reds' very first shot which came after 35 minutes ended up being the most important one yet. A free-kick was awarded in favor of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's men on City's left flank.

However, Fred's initial attempt to locate a teammate managed to evade everyone in City's penalty area but ended up bouncing right in front of Matic. Having failed to score for the Old Trafford outfit in almost two years, the former Chelsea midfielder then slammed home a stunning half-volley to put his side ahead. Watch: