City ended United’s winning start to the season with its fourth straight victory and it will be the sweetest of them all for Guardiola, coming at the expense of Mourinho in the latest instalment of their coaching rivalry.
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But Guardiola says it is too early in the season to have an impact in the title race and that it more important that they pick up three points in Tuesday’s Group C clash with Monchengladbach.
“I didn’t want to make three changes at half-time because I was afraid in long 45 minutes something happened”. If we lose the ball, it’s a goal against us. “The kid gave us what we had needed in the first half”.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic has been prolific if a little stodgy in his movement and – Mourinho suggested he may choose to play both strikers through the centre in future.
“I didn’t think the shot would hit the post, but I’m happy it came off me”.
“We have played, not all of the games, but part of most of the games at a high level, and of course we have to continue”.
“Until my last day in England I will try to play with the ball as much as possible”.
Yet the initial breakthrough came from an unGuardiola-like route in the 15th minute, Aleksandar Kolarov’s hoofed ball being met by a flicked header from Iheanacho which allowed the excellent De Bruyne to nip in past a leaden-footed Daley Blind and fire home.
“If you tell me that that’s not a penalty and a red card, I’ll tell you that for sure outside the box it is a free-kick and a red card”, said Mourinho.
The two north London rivals had contrasting victories, with Arsenal needing an injury-time penalty converted by Santi Cazorla to seal a 2-1 win over Southampton at home.
“It means a whole lot to me”.
I thought because of the characteristics of the game we could hurt them playing with some individuals with some qualities, they didn’t give what I want.
That the architects of the loss were Pep Guardiola and Kevin De Bruyne might have been even tougher for the Manchester United manager to digest.
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.
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De Bruyne is enjoying his central role – “I think in this system for me it is the best thing”, he said – and believes everyone is pulling their weight, highlighting that if one or two switch off it will be hard to maintain Guardiola’s collective standard.
