MAN CITY

PEP GUARDIOLA was given the ultimate seal of approval from Sir Alex Ferguson after Manchester City’s impressive statement of intent.

Ferguson swallowed his frustration at United’s derby destruction by making a point of intercepting Guardiola on his way to his post-match press conference with a warm handshake, congratulations and a friendly conversation.

Ferguson will no doubt have acknowledged United were beaten by the better team, despite Jose Mourinho’s habitual complaints about referees conspiring against him. But for a 20-minute period at the start of the second half, City were technically and tactically at a different level and the final scoreline betrayed their superiority.

This was an impressive response from Guardiola to the sceptics who wondered if his success at Barcelona and Bayern Munich was simply down to inheriting fantastic teams and he would be found out in the Premier League.

Six wins, 17 goals and some sublime football underline City’s evolution under him. And the likelihood