Manchester City, playing with ten men, defeated Manchester United 1-0 away in the Manchester derby in the fourth round of the Premier League. After the match, Manchester City manager Enzo Maresca spoke to Sky Sports.

Enzo, you've previously said to "embrace the chaos" – do you feel your team did that today?

It was chaos! (laughs) Yes, yes. In any case, I think the red card disrupted our original game plan a bit. But I have to praise the players for their effort, the mentality they showed, and the team's cohesion – it was absolutely excellent.

Even though it feels like a long time ago now, tell us about your starting formation. It looked like you had Enzo playing as a lone defensive midfielder in the number 6 role, with two attacking midfielders as number 8s ahead of him. How did you plan to set up initially? And to what extent were those plans disrupted after going down to ten men?

Once we went down to ten men, everything changed. In the early stages, our idea was to attack more and create a numerical advantage in midfield to target their two midfielders. But again, after the red card – I don't remember exactly what minute...

Minute 23, right?

Yes, after around twenty to twenty-five minutes, the entire complexion of the match changed completely.

Yes. Do you think the referee's decision was fair? What's your take on that red card?

The red card was justified – it was a clear foul. But I think in that same tackle, Bruno Fernandes could have also been sent off. In the exact same incident. But anyway, the card was shown, and we got the red. Despite us winning in the end, I think that tackle could have resulted in a red card for them as well.

So you accept that your player was sent off, but on the condition that both sides are treated equally?

Yes, exactly.

Understood. How did you assess your players' response afterward? Interestingly, once down to ten men, you seemed to play better immediately.

Yes, I think it changed our approach tactically, but it also disrupted their shape. They're an excellent team with incredible counter-attacking ability. So when we went down to ten men, we didn't give them any space to counter-attack because we controlled possession. So the match changed for us, and it also changed somewhat for them. That said, I think tactics can take a back seat – what mattered most today was the players' effort and their performance, which was truly outstanding.

Do you think overcoming a challenge like this is a major step forward for this team? As you said, putting tactics aside, from an emotional and unity standpoint, did this really bring everyone together?

Yes, well… even in normal circumstances, being able to win a match with ten men is an extraordinary performance. If this is also a big, important match, then it's even better! So it feels wonderful, yes.

For you personally, a victory in such circumstances must also be an important moment, right? After all, you've taken over from such an accomplished predecessor…

Yes, yes, absolutely. It's a wonderful moment. Last season, Chelsea played here and went down to ten men after three minutes…

Yes, that's right!

And today, one of our players was sent off in the 25th minute. Hopefully next time, we can play an 11 versus 11 match from start to finish!

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