‘When a team is better you have to accept it’ - Guardiola admits that Man United deserves the win

United secured a 2-0 victory at Old Trafford, giving new manager Michael Carrick a dream start to his tenure. 

Goals in the second half from Bryan Mbeumo and Patrick Dorgu sealed the win for the hosts, who could have won by an even wider margin.

The result extends a frustrating run for Guardiola's side, who have now failed to win in their last four Premier League matches. 

Speaking to Sky Sports after the game, Guardiola was candid about his team's shortcomings. "The better team won. They were better," he confessed.

"When a team is better you have to accept it. They had the energy we didn't have, so congratulations."

"The goals we conceded were poor," he continued. "We didn't control, but in general we can't talk about this action or that action. We have the duty to analyse the game in general and they were better."

When pressed on the Dalot incident, Guardiola dismissed its significance in the overall result. "You could say that, you could say that red card, different game. Many, many situations happen," he stated. 

"It is easy for me to come here and say it should be a red card. It is not about that, we will not grow up if that is the argument to win or lose a game. You have to do better and we didn't today."

The match could have taken a different turn early on following a contentious refereeing call. In the opening minutes, United's Diogo Dalot received only a yellow card from referee Anthony Taylor for a high, studs-up challenge on City winger Jeremy Doku. 

Despite replays showing significant contact, the VAR officials determined the foul was a "glancing" blow that lacked "excessive force", allowing the right-back to remain on the pitch.