The honours were even in the 170th Manchester Derby, as Manchester United and Manchester City played out a goalless draw at Old Trafford.
It was a game of few chances, and United came the closest to finding a winner in the dying moments, with substitute Jesse Lingard hitting the crossbar and City keeper Joe Hart having to make a good save to keep out Chris Smalling’s effort.
City return to the top of the Premier League table on goal difference after the result, while the Reds remain in fourth, two points adrift.
Here’s how both managers felt after the game:
Louis van Gaal:
I am very proud of my players because I think we played 90 minutes of a tough game. Both sides played a very tactical game. It was very compact and organised, that is how Manchester City played against us. They adapted the line-up against us.
Against Sevilla in the Champions League, they played with two strikers and now they played with one, with one more player in midfield, so it was a tough game. We created more chances but we didn’t finish them and that is the disappointment because you must win these kinds of games for the fans. It is the derby and when you are so focused and so concentrated like we were today then, yeah, you deserve to win. But sometimes you don’t get what you deserve.
When you see this game, I think the fans were also very proud of the players because, when I go back to the dressing room, they were applauding us. Also, the fans have seen the way we have played and it was a very controlled game from Manchester United. They are also disappointed, like me, because you have to win against these kind of teams, also for the fans, but the way we have played gives hope for the future.
Manuel Pellegrini:
The first half we played better, the same level as United. In the second half we started to lose so many balls, we lost possession of the ball. In that case it’s important to concentrate on defending and not to allow them to create chances, and in that sense we did it well.
We worked well, United had possession but they didn’t have too many chances. They broke through, they also hit the bar and had a chance at the near post when Joe [Hart] saved but other than that it was just possession.
I am satisfied with a point but I don’t like to play in this way. That’s way I say it’s easy to play that way. It’s important to have a point here, another point in the table, but I don’t think it’s the way the team must play.
It’s not a bad day. It’s always difficult to play here at United’s stadium, it’s difficult for every team. If we drew at home maybe I wouldn’t be happy, but in this moment it’s a good point, we concentrated well and defended well.
