“And I thought he played well and I am happy he signed for us, so congratulations to him”. Fortunately for him, and manager Guardiola, referee Mark Clattenburg did not award a penalty.
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Jose Mourinho started the match with a midfield duo of Marouane Fellaini and Pogba but was forced to add Ander Herrera at half-time due to United being constantly overrun.
City goalkeeper Claudio Bravo’s rash challenge on Wayne Rooney inside the box went unpunished in the second half, and moments later Antonio Valencia’s cross struck the elbow of Nicolas Otamendi in the area.
And yet, thanks to goals from Kevin De Bruyne and Kelechi Iheanacho, Manchester United slumped to a 2-1 defeat and fell three points behind their local rivals.
His appointment has brought high hopes City can achieve great things in the competition with the 45-year-old having reached the semi-final stage in the last seven seasons with either Barcelona or Bayern Munich.
Asked if picking the wrong team may have been responsible for United being embarrassingly outplayed in the first half, Mourinho shrugged: “We could play with some individuals with some qualities who didn’t give me what I want. Their performances, of course”. Everything around the game – the derby, the big game, Man United, Man City, the focus, the attention.
“Everyone is disappointed today, which is normal after losing a derby, but this is the fourth game of the season and every team will lose games”, the Belgium midfielder said.
Mourinho also believed that Clattenburg should have penalised Nicolas Otamendi for handling when the ball struck the Argentinian defender’s arm in City’s box. “We were in control, much more unsafe and had our chances to equalise”.
It remains to be seen how long Gundogan features for, but it will certainly come as another major boost to have him available for selection as the German global is seen as a key piece in Guardiola’s City side. “It’s not (making) a mistake”, said the City manager. “He was unbelievable with the feet and with his saves and going to attack the ball”.
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Guardiola was speaking ahead of City’s Champions League Group C opener against Borussia Monchengladbach at the Etihad Stadium on Tuesday.
