Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has described Manchester United’s 0-0 draw with Manchester City as his side's best performance against their city rivals during his tenure.
In a derby match of few chances and little thrust or drama, United bounced back from the disappointment of being dumped out of the Champions League in midweek to claim a point at Old Trafford on Saturday.
City showed little by way of attacking threat and sorely missed the injured Sergio Aguero, with United comfortable for long spells of the game.
United also created little, aside from the penalty won by Marcus Rashford which was subsequently overturned due to the forward being offside.
Solskjaer was happy with how his side battled back from the loss to RB Leipzig, and felt it was their best effort against City on his watch.
“In my time against City, that is the best performance we’ve had,” Solskjaer, whose side did the double over City last term, told Sky Sports . “Not the best result, but the best performance.
“I know we beat them a few times last season, but these were different games. This is the most we have been in the game, as in possession-wise and control and we kept them away from our box more.
"They had a few big moments. David [De Gea] a great save, standing up, and Harry [Maguire] a good block so that’s two big chances they had and maybe a foot offside for Marcus.
“Tactically, we knew they were going to give us some problems and I thought we were excellent defensively.”
Reflecting on the defeat to Leipzig and response against City, Solskjaer said: “It is a big disappointment, a big setback and a mental challenge for everyone when that happens.
“We knew today was going to be a big game so everyone was up for it.”
Paul Pogba was a surprise selection in light of the recent comments from the France international's agent, but Solskjaer said he wanted players in the team who are comfortable on the ball under pressure.
“We did well on the ball and that is the reason behind the selection,” he said. “We wanted players out there who could alleviate pressure on the ball and I thought we did that well.”
