Hall Seals the Hudson River Derby-Day Spoils for RBNY

New York City FC suffered derby defeat at Yankee Stadium as Red Bull New York claimed a 1-0 victory, with Julian Hall capitalising on a costly defensive error to secure all three points for the visitors.

The opening 45 minutes were largely lacklustre, with NYCFC attempting to set the tempo through a number of ambitious efforts from distance. The derby intensity was there, however, with tackles flying in from both sides as neither team was willing to give an inch.

NYCFC came out of the break with renewed urgency and should have taken the lead in the 51st minute.

Luighi laid the ball off to the edge of the box, where Hannes Wolf met it first time. The midfielder struck a clean effort towards goal, but Red Bulls goalkeeper Ethan Horvath produced an excellent save to keep the game level.

Just a minute later, NYCFC came even closer.

This time Luighi found himself with all the time in the world at the back post. The forward attempted to bend his effort into the bottom-right corner, but his shot drifted narrowly wide of the target. The home supporters could scarcely believe their side had not found the breakthrough.

Instead, it was the visitors who struck first.

In the 57th minute, Red Bull New York capitalised on a disastrous moment at the back for NYCFC. James Sands attempted to return a long ball over the top to goalkeeper Matt Freese, but his back pass was undercooked.

Julian Hall was alert to the mistake, racing onto the loose ball before Freese could get there. The teenager calmly rounded the goalkeeper and slotted the ball into the empty net to give RBNY a 1-0 lead.

Mauricio Pochettino was in attendance at Yankee Stadium, having recently called Hall into the USMNT squad for the first time, and the young forward delivered a moment to remember on the derby stage.

NYCFC pushed for an equaliser and thought they had a claim for a penalty in the 71st minute. Alonso Martínez raced through on goal before Ronald Donkor outmuscled the NYCFC forward and won possession inside the box. Martínez appealed for a spot kick, but the referee waved away the claims.

The pressure continued to build.

In the 81st minute, Nico Fernández whipped a dangerous free kick into the area from the right. NYCFC captain Thiago Martins rose highest and powered a bullet header towards goal, only for Horvath to get a strong hand to it and parry the ball over the crossbar.

The home side threw everything forward in stoppage time.

In the 92nd minute, Bénie Traorè found himself with an opportunity from point-blank range, but Horvath once again stood tall to make the block. NYCFC caused carnage inside the Red Bulls penalty area, but somehow the ball refused to find the net in front of the home ultras.

The final whistle eventually brought relief for the visitors and frustration for NYCFC.

It is a massive derby victory for Michael Bradley's side, who leapfrog their rivals in the Eastern Conference and move into eighth place on 33 points.

For NYCFC, it was another night of missed chances and frustration at Yankee Stadium.

Full-time: NYCFC 0-1 Red Bull New York