Neville’s Manchester derby verdict

Gary Neville says Saturday’s frantic Manchester derby was “nothing like he expected” as Manchester City came away 2-1 winners.

Goals from Kevin De Bruyne and Kelechi Iheanacho gave City the win, continuing their 100 per cent start to the season under new manager Pep Guardiola.

The lunchtime clash was given a sizeable billing as Guardiola went up against rival Jose Mourinho for the first time in the Premier League, and though Neville admits he subconsciously thought the game might be a cagey affair, what ensued was a frenzied end-to-end classic.

The Sky Sports pundit said on the Gary Neville Podcast: “The build-up to the game was probably the biggest I’ve ever seen to what would be, in my eyes, a normal league game – obviously there have been title deciders between these two sides in previous years at the end of the season.

“This is a game four or five games into the season, and the build-up was huge. Subconsciously, we wondered whether the managers would think: ‘Let’s get out of here without damage.’

“Many predicted a draw, but it was absolutely nothing like I expected, it was the game you would have dreamt of in terms of end-to-end, punch-for-punch, both managers having to make substitutes …

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