Bruno Fernandes believes there was only one thing different between Manchester United and Manchester City on Sunday.
City dominated their cross-town rivals in a 3-1 win as Phil Foden produced a superb two-goal performance at the Etihad Stadium.
United went into the break ahead thanks to a stunning Marcus Rashford strike, but Erik ten Hag's side were barely able to get a touch in the second half and ended up crumbling under City's pressure.
Advert
Foden scored his own long-range stunner before finishing off a slick team move to give the hosts the lead.
Erling Haaland pounced on a late mistake from Sofyan Amrabat to condemn United to a second consecutive Premier League defeat.
Soeaking after the game, United captain Bruno Fernandes didn't think United's performance was bad at all.
Advert
"Obviously we’re disappointed, I think we could have got something from the game," he said.
"I think the effort from the team was there. Everyone tried really hard to get the result today, but it wasn’t possible.
"I said at half-time I felt that the team was doing everything we could to defend our box.
"We know that at moments we had to defend deep and be together and be compact and help each other. We did it but obviously I think today the difference was the individual quality from the players of City that made them win this game."
City's performance, coupled with the full-time stats, suggested the difference between the two sides was a lot more than just individual quality.
Advert
Pep Guardiola's side enjoyed 74 per cent of the possession and completed 736 passes compared to United's 240.
City attempted 27 shots on goal, eight of which were on target, while United mustered just three attempts. By full-time, City's xG rating of 3.33 dwarfed United's 0.25.
United dominated the defensive metrics, but then Ten Hag's side were effectively camped inside their penalty area for much of the game.
Featured Image Credit: MUTV & GettyTopics: Manchester United, Manchester City, Bruno Fernandes, Erik Ten Hag, Premier League, Football