Manchester Derby 2016: Jose Mourinho, Pep Guardiola React After United vs. City

Jose Mourinho blamed himself after watching his Manchester United side lose 2-1 to rivals Manchester City in the derby at Old Trafford on Saturday. United manager Mourinho admitted City were "much better" after inflicting his first defeat in the Premier League with the Red Devils. 

Speaking to reporters after the game, Mourinho conceded the Citizens were superior on the day, per Squawka News:

Mourinho accepted responsibility for City being better, admitting he was at fault for United's team selection:

Despite his reservations about his own role, Mourinho still lamented the performance of referee Mark Clattenburg. Specifically, the United boss felt the ref failed to give two penalties to his side, according to Jamie Jackson of the Guardian:

But Mourinho also appeared to blame some of the performances from the players he chose:

Going into more detail, Mourinho suggested former Villarreal centre-back Eric Bailly may have been overwhelmed by the occasion, per Jackson:

United were let down by some of their bigger performers, and they trailed 2-0 in the first half after goals from Kevin De Bruyne and Kelechi Iheanacho.

In particular, summer signing Henrikh Mkhitaryan failed to exert any influence in the final third before being substituted at half-time. Meanwhile, Wayne Rooney was fully committed, but his final ball too often went astray.

Still, the United forward may have won a penalty when City goalkeeper Claudio Bravo, shaky on the day, brought him down in the box after being beaten to a risky back pass.

However, City manager Pep Guardiola chose to ignore the incident, opting to plead ignorance, per Samuel Luckhurst of the Manchester Evening News:

"

Guardiola sees he 'didn't see' Bravo's challenge on Rooney. #Wengeritis

— Samuel Luckhurst (@samuelluckhurst) September 10, 2016"

Perhaps Guardiola didn't see Bravo's collision with Rooney. But he couldn't have missed seeing the Chilean 'keeper drop a high cross and gift United their only goal, courtesy of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, shortly before the break.

Despite it being a terrible howler by a goalkeeper making his Premier League debut, Guardiola sought to play down Bravo's gaffe, per Jackson:

Instead, Guardiola chose to focus on the aerial tactics United employed to try to rescue a point after the break:

The hosts' long-ball approach was in sharp contrast to the way City passed the ball at pace and with imagination, especially during the first half. Guardiola's players moved the ball quickly, constantly exploiting gaps and rotating positions in midfield.

The Spaniard was particularly pleased with how his players put his philosophy into practice during the first half, according to BBC Sport's Simon Stone:

Finally, Guardiola, clearly in conciliatory mood after such a notable win, deflected questions about his rivalry with Mourinho. Guardiola insisted Mourinho was not his focus, per Luckhurst:

Guardiola may be trying to stay neutral, but there's no denying he's landed a major psychological blow over his rival. City can rightfully claim to have made the first big statement in this season's title race.