Man Utd lost 1-0 to Manchester City in the derby but Kobbie Mainoo emerged with credit from the game.
Elliot Anderson battles with Kobbie Mainoo.(Image: News Images/NurPhoto)
View Image
Manchester City midfielder Elliot Anderson described Kobbie Mainoo as a "top player" following his side's Manchester derby victory against Manchester United on Sunday.
City went down to 10 men when Phil Foden was shown a red card in the 23rd minute, but they drew first blood when Erling Haaland controversially found the back of the net in the second half.
Hours after the final whistle, Pro Ref admitted to an "error of judgement" in allowing the goal to stand, conceding that an on-field review should have been recommended as Enzo Fernandez, who was in an offside position, had interfered with play.
United still struggled to carve out opportunities against a 10-man City side, recording just 0.54 expected goals before added time, in which Bryan Mbeumo had a golden chance to score a late equaliser.
Mainoo's performance was one of the few positives from a United perspective. The Stockport midfielder came close to scoring, hitting the post from distance.
Mainoo had more touches than any other United player, recorded the most successful passes, had the most defensive contributions and recorded the most chances created.
Anderson grew close to Mainoo during England's World Cup campaign over the summer. Mainoo did not play a single minute at the tournament, but they formed a strong bond throughout England's training camp.
When Anderson was asked what it was like to play against Mainoo, he said: "It was great. It was a good battle. He's a top, top player, you know, and it's always tough playing against Kobbie, but yeah, he's a real good player and a real nice guy."
United made Anderson their priority midfield target for the summer transfer window, but they were not prepared to enter a bidding war with Manchester City, who paid £116million to sign him from Nottingham Forest.
The Reds hoped to sign Anderson for a lower fee, but City moved quickly to strike a deal with Forest for Anderson, who described his new club as the "kings of Manchester" when his transfer was announced.
United signed Andrey Santos, Youri Tielemans and Carlos Baleba to overhaul their midfield in the window, spending a total of £155m.