Diogo Dalot’s challenge on Jeremy Doku made headlines as Manchester United beat local rivals City 2-0 in their first game under new manager Michael Carrick.
Pep Guardiola had no doubts (Image: James Gill – Danehouse/Getty Images)
A somber manager Pep Guardiola was forced to admit Manchester United deserved to win Saturday’s derby and refused to blame VAR for City’s loss. United ran out 2-0 winners at Old Trafford as the hosts got Michael Carrick’s reign off to a good start.
Guardiola’s team has not been able to display overwhelming power and is currently without a win in four games in the Premier League. Brian Mbeumo and Patrick Dorg made the difference in the second half, but the margin of victory could have been even greater.
The game might have been different if the referee had made an earlier decision. Diogo Dalot was shown a yellow card by Anthony Taylor early on for a foul on Jeremy Doku, with replays showing the stud made high contact with the City winger’s legs.
However, VAR ruled that the contact was a “glance” and there was no “excessive force”. The United right-back was allowed to continue playing and was instrumental in the Red Devils’ impressive victory.
Guardiola felt the result was justified, confessing to Sky Sports after the game: “The better team won. They were the better team. When a team is better, you have to accept that. They had an energy that we didn’t have. Congratulations.”
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“They had a chance at the end, but of course we conceded a poor goal. We were out of control, but in general you can’t talk about this or that act. We have a duty to analyze the whole game, but they were better.”
Regarding the decision not to send off Dalot, Guardiola said: “You could say that, and you could also say that if there was a red card it would be a different game. There are so many situations that can happen.
“It’s easy to come here and say there should be a red card. It doesn’t matter. If it’s a discussion of winning or losing games, we won’t improve. We have to do better and we didn’t do that today.”
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Diogo Dalot avoids sending off (Image: Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA/Getty Images)
City midfielder Bernardo Silva echoed his manager’s comments about a possible red card, saying: “I don’t think there are any excuses for us after a day like today. It was a really bad performance from us. The challenge was visible but it is what it is.”
“This season, the 50-50 decisions are all against us. Everything is in favor of our rivals. In the end, this was not the reason. If you look at the video, it’s a red card.”
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