Manchester City assistant boss David Platt has warned Manchester United the Blues will not go away.
City may have conceded defeat to United in their Barclays Premier League title defence but their hard-earned 2-1 win in the derby at Old Trafford not only restored pride but made a psychological point. The aim now for City is to secure second place and regroup sufficiently over the summer to launch a stronger challenge next season.
The former England international, Roberto Mancini's first-team coach at the Etihad Stadium, said: "The potential is being realised. It is a very good team, it is a very good football club. It is not going away."
He added: "That is the main message, not just to come out of last night but forever.
"Regardless of what happens in the league this season, we aren't going away.
"We will be there next year and long may that continue. We will keep getting stronger and stronger."
The manner of City's performance in securing back-to-back wins at Old Trafford for the first time since 1972 prompted many to wonder how they had allowed United to go into the game 15 points clear.
Platt told City TV: "More than a fantastic result it was a terrific performance. You are never going to dominate a game for 90 minutes against Manchester United but we restricted them to very few opportunities.
"The opportunities they did have were on the counter-attack, which you expect from a team like them, but we took the game to them, we had territorial advantage, we created opportunities.
"We were composed throughout, which was a good thing. But not only that, we showed character as well. Having conceded the goal to go 1-1 we showed the character to finish it off with a great goal from Sergio."
Source: PA
