“Hopefully next time we play against United, people start to forget”.
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In the first half, City looked much more dominant pressing United whenever they had possession, then hitting the back-line with quick counter attacks.
“You want me to give you headlines and I want to go for lunch”, he said, after underlying this was a match between players rather than managers.
“You need to be sharp, the way you think and the way you play, we had a few players below the level”. It is normal between managers and players you have more connections with some than others, but that doesn’t mean you hate each other.
Bravo could have given away a penalty with a studs-up challenge on an infuriated Wayne Rooney, while Ibrahimovic had a goal ruled out when he deflected the ball home from a clearly offside position, but United never really got the upper hand in the match.
“His personality showed me a lot today”, Guardiola said.
The Red Devils endured a very disappointing first half against rivals Manchester City at Old Trafford.
“I know it is a risk, because if you lose the ball it is a goal against us, but when we win with that, we win in many things”.
It was an act of straw-clutching, although the Portuguese fully accepted City’s first-half superiority when he admitted he and his players got it wrong.
Mourinho said it was “not just” Mkhitaryan and Lingard, making their first league starts under a new manager, although they were clearly a major source of frustration.
Former Liverpool striker Benteke headed home in the 16th minute, with Daniel Ayala’s 38th minute header drawing Middlesbrough level before Wilfried Zaha restored Palace’s lead two minutes after the interval.
“He knows and he brings the second arm back”.
The critics were sharpening their knives when Arsenal fell behind in the 18th minute through a Petr Cech own goal after Dusan Tadic’s free-kick deflected off the goalkeeper. When you feel that the team is there and ready to give everything until the last second, you are always waiting for something.
On 36 minutes the two combined again, after De Bruyne’s shot cannoned off the post and fell to the Nigerian’s feet and he made no mistake with his finish from close range. “We were a team that had the courage and honesty and dignity to chase with pride the result which I think we deserved – we deserved a goal in the second half”.
“On the touchline probably nothing, but probably inside, in the dressing rooms, fine – I met him a couple of weeks ago”.
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It’s too early in the season to suggest this defeat will cost United the Premier League title but it is a real kick in the teeth for Mourinho and his team. “But of course we’re sad and disappointed with the defeat”.
