Manchester City vs. Manchester United: Top Quotes After 2016 Manchester Derby

Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal believes his team has a “good chance” of finishing the Premier League season inside the top four after the 1-0 win in the Manchester derby against Manchester City.

As Sky Sports Football shared, he pointed at the schedule as a reason to believe in his team's chances:

Marcus Rashford scored the only goal of the match, continuing his strong form by becoming the youngest player to score in a Manchester derby, per BBC Sport. The Citizens pressed for a late equaliser, but strong defensive work ensured United walked out of the Etihad Stadium with all three points.

The win sees the Red Devils move within a single point of City in the standings, while West Ham United are also still in the mix for the fourth and final UEFA Champions League ticket.

The Dutchman reserved special praise for scorer Rashford, revealing the youngster suffered cramps toward the end of the match, per Daniel Taylor of the Guardian:

He also aimed a little dig at Martin Demichelis, the City centre-back who couldn't keep up with Rashford and was substituted early in the second half:

Rashford wasn't the only player who suffered cramps, and the United squad as a whole seemed to tire tremendously after half-time. As BBC Sport's Simon Stone shared, Van Gaal blamed his team's clash with Liverpool on Thursday:

Perhaps the most impressive aspect of United's win was how their midfielders contained City, particularly in the first half. The Citizens failed to seize command of the ball or push through the centre of the pitch, making the job a lot easier for United's defenders.

Morgan Schneiderlin played an excellent game, but Van Gaal refused to reserve special praise for the Frenchman―for an odd reason, according to Miguel Delaney of the Independent:

City manager Manuel Pellegrini was obviously less excited about the outcome of the match, and per Delaney, his frustrations were evident in the first answer he gave during his post-match presser:

The Citizens have been in dreadful form of late, winning just one of their last six Premier League matches, and following Sunday's loss and Tottenham Hotspur's 3-0 win over Bournemouth, the Sky Blues' title challenge appears well and truly over.  

Pellegrini explained his decision to take off Demichelis in the second half, refuting the fact he simply couldn't deal with Rashford's speed:

Per City's official Twitter account, he also weighed in on the health of Raheem Sterling and Joe Hart, who both picked up injuries on Sunday:

Both could miss the first leg of City's Champions League clash with Paris Saint-Germain, yet another setback for the Citizens, whose season is starting to unravel in a hurry. The international break couldn't come at a better time, as the Sky Blues need to regain their composure fast.