GUARDIOLA HAPPY AFTER CITY BEAT BIG RIVALS UNITED IN DERBY CLASH

FOOTBALL:

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola was reasonably pleased with a deserved derby victory that left Manchester United counterpart Jose Mourinho clinging onto the positives. David Silva’s early goal was added to by Sergio Aguero just minutes into the second half, only for Anthony Martial to reduce the deficit from the spot and bring back memories of United’s famous comeback in April. But Mourinho’s men were unable to stave off defeat at the Etihad Stadium, where substitute Ilkay Gundogan wrapped up a 3-1 win. “First half not so good,” Guardiola said. “We played like ‘I don’t want to lose the ball but not the intention to attack or to do something’. “I feel when I watch my players, a team that feel a little bit the pressure. They want to do well in the derby. That’s normal. “Despite of that, we were stable, we score one goal, the first 15 minutes was so good and after that we didn’t press so well. “They could play more than usual but the second half we start from the beginning much, much better. “We change the way we press (Victor) Lindelof and (Chris) Smalling, and of course the goal helped us lot from Sergio. “After we concede one goal, it is inevitable to think about last season (United’s 3-2 comeback win) what happened again in that situation. “But we didn’t concede one other chance, we defend so well. City boast a two-point cushion at the top after 12 games - a stage reached with three unbeaten teams for the first time in English top-flight history. “It is two points,” Guardiola said. “Four points from Chelsea. It is nothing... it’s good, especially where we come from.” As for United, the defeat means they are as close to Cardiff in the relegation zone as league-leading City. When that 12-point gap was mentioned to Mourinho in a question asking whether their title hopes were over, the Portuguese responded: “I think we are not going to be relegated.” Despite that brusque response, the United manager was largely upbeat after a loss in which his side’s only shot on target was Martial’s penalty. In addition, the three goals conceded leaves them with a negative goal difference and an eye-watering 21 goals in the against column - perhaps underlining why he was so desperate for a centre-back in the summer. “But I don’t think today was the game to touch on that point,” Mourinho said. “I think Victor and Chris had a positive performance. “A kid (Luke Shaw) that made a mistake for the first goal is playing so, so, so, so well and last season he was playing one match every three months.”