Pep Guardiola: Normal to not win the league always, sometimes you lose

The Spaniard was content with his side's performance despite the loss at home.

In a match that could have major repercussions on the title race, Manchester United pulled off an unprecedented victory at the home of the Champions, Manchester City. Although City had the lion’s share of the possession, United’s raw pace on the counter attack was often too much for the Cityzens to handle, with Pep Guardiola admitting the same. In the first half, Marcus Rashford drove into the heart of the City defence, drawing a reckless challenge from Bernardo Silva, winning the penalty that lead to the first goal. Not long after, Anthony Martial swivelled and struck to put the visitors two goals to the good. [KH_ADWORDS type="3" align="center"][/KH_ADWORDS] United, however, partially succumbed to the onslaught of Manchester City pressure in the second half. Nicolas Otamendi struck late on in the game to give the men in blue some hope, but the Red Devils held on for a crucial win. United’s victory took them up to fifth in the table, five points behind Chelsea in fourth place who suffered a 3-1 loss to Everton earlier in the week. City’s defeat leaves them 14 points adrift of Liverpool at the top of the table. It has been the worst start to a league season under Pep Guardiola, since he took charge of the club. The Spaniard was bullish in his views of the game, insisting that his players had played well but were merely outdone by the pace of United’s forward line. “I like how my team played,” he said according to Evening Standard.“We conceded a little bit more, not than usual, but than in the last years against United.” “We knew with the pace they had [Dan] James, [Anthony] Martial and [Marcus] Rashford because sometimes it is not possible to control it.” “In general, we did what we like. We arrived in the final third many, many, many, many times. Unfortunately, we couldn’t finish a little bit more but I like to watch my team. I know nobody agrees but I like it.” With the derby day loss, City now have an uphill task to get back into the title race. They currently stand 14 points off league leaders Liverpool and three points below in-form Leicester City, who still have a game in hand. [KH_RELATED_NEWS title="Related News | Article Continues Below"][/KH_RELATED_NEWS] Speaking about their title challenge, Pep Guardiola says, “Sometimes you don’t win and the others are better and you lose. Normal is not winning the league always, sometimes you lose." “It is important not to give up and try to do what we do as a team. All the games we play a season we play the game I want my team to play. After that, the counter-attacks, the final third, when we struggle in some departments okay, it’s part of the process. Maybe next season we will be better.”