Gianluigi Donnarumma has hailed Manchester City’s ‘sublime’ display in their battling 10-man derby victory over Manchester United, while also questioning the red card shown to Phil Foden.
Gianluigi Donnarumma made a series of crucial saves against Manchester United at Old Trafford.
More Videos
Manchester City produced one of their best derby-day performances in recent memory on Sunday, beating Manchester United 1-0 at Old Trafford despite playing more than an hour with ten men.
Phil Foden was shown a contentious first-half red card, only for Erling Haaland to settle a fiercely fought 199th Manchester derby on the hour mark, his goal surviving a lengthy VAR review in equally controversial circumstances.
From there, City dug in magnificently, restricting the hosts to a mere handful of opportunities before Donnarumma produced a stunning stoppage-time save to deny Bryan Mbeumo and preserve all three points.
The result extended the Blues’ perfect start to the Premier League season to four games and kept them neck-and-neck with Arsenal, who only lead by a single goal.
It was a triumph defined by resilience. Haaland’s strike - his record ninth goal in Manchester derbies - proved the difference, and while United twice struck the woodwork through Marcus Rashford and Kobbie Mainoo, they otherwise mustered precious little against a City backline superbly marshalled by Marc Guehi and Ruben Dias. Reflecting on a dramatic afternoon, the goalkeeper could not hide his pride.
I'm Really With Our Performances, Says Donnarumma on Manchester Derby Triumph
The Italy international was full of admiration for the character and quality his team-mates showed in adversity, and said the display summed up exactly what Manchester City are about.
“I loved my team-mates’ performance, it was sublime,” Donnarumma told Sky Sports. “I’m really happy with the performance of my team, the capacity to stay in the game and react in difficult moments. No one can take that from us. This is who we are. This is our team. This is Manchester City.”
Manchester City manager Enzo Maresca launched a defence of Gianluigi Donnarumma after the goalkeeper's shaky moments in possession against Porto.cityxtra.co.uk"A Few Times, It Wasn't His Mistake" - Enzo Maresca Defends Gianluigi Donnarumma After Nervy Porto Performance
Manchester City manager Enzo Maresca launched a defence of Gianluigi Donnarumma after the goalkeeper's shaky moments in possession against Porto.
Donnarumma Questions Foden’s Red Card
The goalkeeper did, however, take issue with the decision to dismiss Foden, arguing that the sending off deserves scrutiny if United’s supporters wish to debate the legitimacy of Haaland’s winner.
“The red card was harsh. Really harsh,” he added. “You have to ask questions about the sending off if you’re asking questions about the goal. But that’s part of football, part of the game.”
The flashpoint arrived midway through the first half, when Foden reacted to a challenge from Bruno Fernandes and was shown a straight red - a call that left Enzo Maresca’s side facing more than two-thirds of the game with a numerical disadvantage. That they emerged with all three points made the achievement all the more impressive.
Fernandes appeared to kick out at Foden shortly before the England midfielder reacted, prompting many fans to suggest that either a yellow or red card for both players would have been a fairer outcome.
We'll Give Everything for This Shirt: Donnarumma
With Manchester City flying at the top end of the table, Donnarumma was quick to stress that the hard work is only just beginning as the Blues chase silverware on multiple fronts under their new head coach.
“We need to keep going. We have to move forward with confidence, keep our heads down, work hard, because every match is tough,” he said. “If we want to compete for major goals, we have to work hard, and I’m sure we will because we have a fantastic coach in Enzo Maresca.
“We’ll give everything for this shirt, this club that gives us so much and offers so much great support. It has a great history, we need to give a lot back.”
It is a message that will resonate with supporters after a statement afternoon in Manchester - one that, along with Donnarumma’s decisive late heroics, will live long in the memory as Maresca celebrated a first Manchester derby win in the most dramatic fashion.