Mancini: We didn´t deserve to lose

Manchester City boss Roberto Mancini said his side did not deserve to lose 3-2 to Manchester United after Robin van Persie’s late winner.

Although City started brightly at the Etihad Stadium, Wayne Rooney netted twice in the first half to give the visitors a two-goal advantage, before strikes from Yaya Toure and Pablo Zabaleta set up a grandstand finale between the rivals.

However, the Netherlands striker won the game with a 91st-minute free-kick courtesy of a deflection off Samir Nasri – and Mancini admitted his side ‘are not in a good moment’ as they fell six points behind United on the Premier League table.

“This is football, we were unlucky in the last second. We played better, we didn’t deserve to lose,” he told Sky Sports News.

“For 20 minutes they didn’t touch the ball, they shot three times and they scored three goals. I think that a game shouldn’t finish like this.

“When it was 2-0 we had chance after chance but we were unlucky. We played, they won, but also we showed we are better as a team.

“We are disappointed but it is because we lost a game we didn’t deserve to lose. I can say that I am happy for our performance.”

Mancini also bemoaned that his side slipped to a late loss, and believes his defence should have been more wary of a player as lethal in front of goal as Van Persie.

“I think in the last second we should pay more attention in this situation, because you’re playing against a top player, and Van Persie shoots very, very well,” he said.

While City slipped six points behind league leaders United in the Premier League, the 48-year-old manager feels his side have enough time to retain their title.

“We have time to recover, if we have the same attitude but without mistakes I think we have time to recover these six points,” he said.

“We are not in a good moment but I think we should restart from this performance and we should understand we are a good team.

“It was a good game until the last two seconds for our supporters.”