Manchester Derby 2014: Manuel Pellegrini and Louis Van Gaal Post-Match Reaction

Manchester City earned a deserved 1-0 victory over Manchester United at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday, with Chris Smalling's dismissal in the first half aiding the hosts in their bid for derby domination.   

But despite the result, there were signs this United team are progressing under the Dutchman, who told a mixed story of sympathy and determination in his post-match comments, per the club's official Twitter account:

The Red Devils have struggled to establish a consistent back four amidst injury woes this season, and with Phil Jones absent, there was pressure on Smalling and Marcos Rojo to perform against their bitter rivals.

However, Smalling ended his day early for two bookable offences in the first period, which Van Gaal admits as being irresponsible of his defender, per Rob Dawson of the Manchester Evening News:

And the concerns will continue, too. Rojo was replaced by Paddy McNair in the 56th minute after suffering a knock to his shoulder, confirming to MUTV that the early signs are he'll be absent for at least a week:

As things stand, United now sit eighth in the table with 13 points after 10 games, their worst start to a campaign since 1986-87.

The void between his side and the current title favourites was pointed out to Van Gaal, quoted by Squawka and Sky Football's Matthew Stanger in giving a prickly response:

Among the gloom, however, the former Netherlands tactician manages to find positives in his team's display. He praised the performance of his 10 men following the sending off, per Tom Rostance of BBC Sport:

"

Despite having 10 men we played better in the second half than the first and that is because of the willpower of the team. We created a lot of chances, they fought until the last moment but City had a very good goalkeeper. We are very close but we have to improve.

"

If there were positive notes for Van Gaal to find with his side, Manuel Pellegrini will have been all the more joyful following his team's victory.

The Chilean spoke highly of his outfit, but also hinted at a disappointing game for referee Michael Oliver, who failed to award City any of what looked like three clear penalty appeals, per Rostance:

"

Of course it was hard. Derby games are special games for both teams. Manchester United have very good players and if you give them time and space they can decide the game. We worked hard and played very well until we scored but maybe after that we didn't continue to play the way we were.

We had at least one and a half penalties. For Yaya Toure it was a penalty and a sending off but we continued to play with trust that we would score. We have 28 games more to play, which is a lot of points. Nobody can know what will happen. I said last week we were in a similar position to last year. Nobody knows how it will finish but we will continue to try and retain our title.

"

League leaders Chelsea sit as outstanding favourites to claim the title this term, four points above second-place Southampton and six away from Pellegrini's City.

The manager evidently doesn't see his side as the "noisy neighbours" they were once dubbed, pointing out the significance of a derby victory above others, per the official Premier League Twitter account:

The Red Devils will feel a long line of injuries has prevented them from reaching their optimum potential as of yet this season, but a failure to pick up points is nonetheless disappointing.

Jon Super/Associated Press

City will also feel their best has not been on display of late, but after suffering two defeats in a row, this was an ideal way to bounce back into winning form.

Next up for Pellegrini's side is the visit of CSKA Moscow in the Champions League, while United will take their time to assess current issues during their week off.