Rooney Pleased With Response After Dismissal

Although disappointed with the narrow 1-0 derby defeat against Manchester City on Sunday, captain Wayne Rooney was pleased with Manchester United’s response following the dismissal of Chris Smalling.

Smalling saw red after picking up two yellow cards and United fell behind to a Sergio Aguero strike just after the hour, but the Reds reacted positively in the final 20 minutes with a spirited effort.

“We responded well and defended well [after falling behind],” Rooney told MUTV. “I felt for long periods of the game we were the better team. We took control of the game with 10 men and created the better chances.

“We were unfortunate not to get anything out of the match and we're disappointed to leave with no points after a great effort.”

On the sending off, Rooney insisted Smalling will learn from his mistake.

“Chris is disappointed," said the skipper. "It's tough when you get sent off, especially in a derby and with such a long time to go in the game it made it difficult for the rest of us to hold on. I'm sure Chris will learn from that.”

Rooney maintained that there were positive signs despite City’s fourth consecutive derby win against the Reds.

“We're working on different things, which a lot of us haven't been used to. We're certainly heading in the right direction,” he added.

“We're progressing each week and playing some nice football. We need to turn that into results and I'm sure we can do that if we keep working, keep learning and keep doing what the manager wants from us.”